Bonds of Friends
by Unknown-nin345
Summary: We all know that simple changes can have drastic effects on how a story is told. Come along for a journey as we explore a different tale of those who lead the way: The Vanguards. Features Aichi with a Blaster Blade 'duel spirit', and plenty of twists and turns to break from canon! Part 1 of 3. Maybe more depending on how the anime goes.
1. Ride 1: Beginnings of Bonds

**Bonds of Friends**

**Ride 1: Beginnings of Bonds**

**Unknown-nin345: Hello all and welcome to my Cardfight! Vanguard fic. I want to say first off, that the major inspiration for this fic goes out to Digidramon's ****Vanguard Blue Hour**** and its sequel ****Midnight Sun****. These fics are what prompted me to check out the Vanguard anime which led me to playing the card game myself. I am proud to say that I am now a Vanguard fighter with 3 decks: my Royal Paladins, Gold Paladins, and Dimension Police. Even my younger brother has gotten into the game and has a deck of Shadow Paladin cards. **

**I will state this here and now: while I might follow canon timeline and events to a point, EXPECT CHANGES, especially in the fights themselves since this isn't the same universe as canon. There's gonna be some pretty big differences in my story compared to canon and I hope you all enjoy where I take this story that will (hopefully) span all three seasons. (If I can keep up the motivation to keep the fic going for that long)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cardfight! Vanguard, if I did… well, they say it's good to have dreams.**

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

A small boy made his way down a fairly deserted street, looking even smaller than he was due to his slouched, withdrawn posture and the dull, hollow look in his light-blue eyes. His green sweater and tan shorts gave no hint to the bruises and scuff marks that decorated his body which enhanced the aura of depression the boy gave off, even his dark-blue hair held an air of lifelessness. The boy took no interest in the beautiful day around him, feeling only a chill numbness pressing down on his very soul.

Suddenly, a voice pierced through the blue-haired boy's shield of apathy, "Man, you're a mess." The beaten-up boy looked up to see a brown-haired boy a couple years older than him, dressed in a purple, long-sleeved shirt under an open white polo, with a friendly smile on his face and warm jade-green eyes. "Lose a fight or somethin'?"

The blue-haired boy quietly sighed as he continued walking, even as his mind replayed the reason for his current state. It would seem to anyone watching that his body was simply going through the motions, like a lifeless automaton without a soul.

Meanwhile, the brown-haired boy's smile became slightly strained when he saw this reaction while a small sweat drop formed as a single thought echoed mentally, _'Nice going baka!'_ The boy's green eyes took in the sight of the downtrodden kid walking away from him and came to an instant decision.

"Hey, wait up!"

The younger boy once again stopped walking at the older boy's shout, which gave the green-eyed youth time to pull something out of his pocket as he quickly jogged over to stand in front of the blue-haired boy. Holding out what he had grabbed, the brown-haired boy simply said, "Here, take this."

The boy with bruises gingerly took the card being offered, gazing silently at the image printed on it. A warrior stood there, clad in gleaming blue and white armor that had glowing light-blue veins etched into it and carrying a long sword that bore a similar appearance to his armor. The blue-haired boy slowly took special note of the named printed on the card, _Blaster Blade_.

"That's a pretty strong warrior you got there." The younger boy looked up from the card just in time to see the older boy lean in slightly, causing him to back up a bit, "C'mon, cheer up! Now listen…picture it in your mind." He smiled at the confused expression on the blue-haired boy's face and continued speaking. "Picture yourself big and strong like the warrior in that card."

The younger boy turned his dull eyes to the card in his hands and, after a moment of silence, whispered, "I…I can't."

The brown-haired boy just laughed in a warm, good-natured way. "Well, sure, at first. But, if you can picture it, one day you'll get that strength."

"Get strong?" the blue-haired boy muttered, his eyes not straying from the card in his hands.

The brown-haired boy nodded. "Your vision can become your power!" He smiled when he saw a small light enter the younger boy's eyes and his lips turn up, ever so slightly, in a small smile. "By the way, what's your name kid?"

The blue-haired boy snapped out of his thoughts as a small blush coated his cheeks, "Oh. A-aichi. Sendou Aichi."

"Kai Toshiki," the brown-haired boy stated while tapping his chest. "Remember Aichi, if you can picture it, then you can become like the warrior in that card."

'_Like…Blaster Blade?'_ Aichi quietly thought to himself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dark-blue eyes snapped open and darted about the dark room in a confused manner before recognition filled them. Aichi, now fifteen years old, rose up out of his bed and made his way over to the window to pull back the curtains. The bright light of the morning sun prompted him to throw up a hand to shield his eyes to help them adjust to the light. Once he could comfortably open his eyes again, his gaze immediately turned to a small deck sitting on his desk.

'_It's been a while since I thought about that day,' _Aichi quietly thought as he made his way over to the desk.

A voice that only he could hear answered back, one that bore the tone of an experienced and peerless warrior, _'__Oh? Which day would that be?__'_

Aichi looked up from his cards to the mirror above his desk and immediately spotted the ethereal, armored figure standing over his left shoulder. Over the years, Aichi had tried to do has Kai had told him to picture himself as big and strong as Blaster Blade, but his shy and quiet nature worked against him and made it near impossible to do. Because of this, Aichi crafted in his head an imaginary Blaster Blade that held every quality that Aichi had thought the real Blade might have. Nowadays, his mental picture of Blaster Blade seemed to have taken on a life of his own, figuratively speaking.

'_Just the day we first met, when Kai-kun gave your card to me,'_ Aichi replied as his gaze shifted back to the cards he had laid out on his desk.

The iconic warrior of the Royal Paladins was silent before his attention shifted to the bedroom door. _'__Your sister approaches,__'_ was all he said as he faded from view.

A burst of knocking sounded from the door as a young girls voice called out, "Aichi?! Are you up yet?"

A small smile decorated Aichi's face as he called back, "I'm up Emi."

"Mom wanted me to tell you that breakfast is almost ready, so hurry up and get dressed," Emi said before the sound of receding footsteps signaled that she had returned downstairs.

Still smiling, Aichi changed into his school uniform of grey pants and jacket with a bright-red turtleneck shirt underneath the jacket. His school supplies and books were packed into his school bag before his attention returned to his Vanguard cards. He pulled the Blaster Blade card out of the deck, which was placed in his school bag, and placed the card in a pocketbook that was slid into his breast pocket.

'_Let's go, Blaster Blade,'_ Aichi whispered as he exited his room, feeling the silent presence of his mental friend following at his side.

xxxx (Later that day) xxxx

It was the last class of the day (history with the ever eccentric Mark-sensei) and, as always, Aichi was just glad to have made it through the day without any negative confrontations. Even so, an unshakeable hollowness clung to Aichi, making him feel like a leaf carried on the wind; lacking any strength to decide where he would go. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he realized Mark-sensei had called his name.

"Ha-hai sensei?" Aichi stuttered out as he made his way to his feet.

The blonde-haired teacher smiled gently at his nervous student and asked, "How would you leave your mark on the Sengoku Era, or even the Battle of Kawanakajima Sendou-kun?"

Aichi was silent for several seconds as he considered possibilities, doing his best to ignore the mutters of his fellow students that were poking fun at him, "Well, I'd do my best to ensure that all of my allies' skills were being used to their full potential. Then I'd work together with my allies to make sure as many of us survived the conflict as were able." A couple students snickered at what they perceived as 'weak' (a certain individual especially) while others were just amazed at how much Aichi had just spoken.

Mark-sensei nodded, "Yes, not a bad image Sendou-kun. It's said a lot can be revealed about a person by the way they approach conflict. You can take your seat Sendou-kun; now, getting back to Kawanakajima…"

Aichi sighed in relief as he sat back down. _'Phew, that could've gone a lot worse. But still,'_ he whispered in his thoughts, _'there's no way shy, little me could stand with such great warriors.'_ He set the two history 'cards' that detailed the forces fighting in the current battle Mark-sensei was lecturing about and pulled out his pocketbook, sliding the card inside into view. _'Though you could probably give them a run for their money.'_

'_Only if the cause I fought for was a just one,__'_ the card spirit easily replied. Aichi stifled a chuckle as he pictured the warrior in his gleaming white armor facing down a battalion of armed samurai.

Another student seated a couple desks away was feeling anything but mirth. The pack of Vanguard cards he had just opened revealed nothing that would aid him in defeating the person that had humiliated him in front numerous people the other day. He buried his face in his arms and groaned with no small amount of frustration.

'_Darnit, there's nothing here that can beat __that__ guy!'_ he angrily thought to himself as he considered pulling on his black hair that would remind others of a split-ended broom. Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, distracting him from his previous thoughts. _'Huh? What's that pipsqueak Aichi so happy about?'_ one Morikawa Katsumi wondered to himself. His eyes squinted slightly as they tried to make out what Aichi was holding before they snapped wide open in shock. _'That's…I don't believe it! That's __Blaster Blade__! How the heck did someone like him get their hands on such a legendary, rare card! With that…'_ A wide grin made its way onto Morikawa's face as images of him standing victorious over the one who had defeated him made their way to the forefront of his thoughts, followed quickly by plans on how he was going to get the card that would ensure his victory.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

When class finally let out, Morikawa had finally decided that the straightforward approach was the best one, "Oi, Sendou!"

The blue-haired teen froze in place before turning around, "Y-yes, Morikawa-kun? Did you need something?"

Morikawa threw an arm around Aichi's shoulders as he began to forcefully lead him out the school entrance and around the corner, his best friend Yuuta Izaki following. "Oh, not much. Just a little…proposition."

It didn't take long for the group of three to reach a spot that was mostly out of sight of any random passer-byes. A feeling of dread began to settle on Aichi as he was backed into a wall, his school bag lying on the ground since his trembling fingers couldn't keep a solid grip.

"W-what did you w-want Morikawa-kun?" Aichi stuttered out, before flinching in fear as the black-haired boy slapped a hand against the wall right by his head.

"Sendou Aichi," Morikawa slowly drawled out. "I never knew that you were a Vanguard fighter."

Aichi's eyes widened slightly as he tried to stammer out a response, "N-n-no, I mean, I-I've never been in a fight before."

A small smirk settled on Morikawa's face as he asked, "Oh? Then what about that card you got in your pocketbook there?" A light tap on Aichi's chest backed up the question.

Aichi's fingers trembled lightly as they pulled the small pocketbook out. He had just opened it was it was snatched out of his hands by the black-haired teen. A black-haired teen who was now laughing in sheer delight at what he was holding in his hands.

"Ha-ha, I don't believe it!" Morikawa shouted in excitement as he tossed the pocketbook aside. "It really is Blaster Blade! With this card I can totally get my revenge."

"Hey, let me get a look," Izaki said as he moved closer, Morikawa turning the card in his direction. The brown-haired teen felt his jaw drop when he saw the iconic card there, having not really believed his friend when he had been told by Morikawa. "Woah, that's so cool!"

"I know right? I'm taking this guy straight to the shop!" Morikawa declared as he started to rush off, Izaki following right behind him.

Aichi spent only a short moment in stunned disbelief before he began to chase the two, "W-wait Morikawa-kun! Don't take that card from me! It was given to me by some-Gah!" The blue-haired teen was stopped in his tracks by Morikawa throwing out a kick that connected solidly with his gut which knocked the breath right out of him and sent him down to his knees.

As Aichi lay there on the ground trying to catch his breath, Morikawa leveled a steady glare on the downed teen, "Shut up already. You said you're not a Vanguard fighter right? I feel sorry for this card." He held up Blaster Blade and waved it in a mocking manner at Aichi, "It never gets to fight, so I think I'll take it off your hands." The black-haired teen looked over at his friend with a grin, "Alright, let's head over to Card Capital!" Izaki nodded in agreement and the two quickly ran off.

Once he got some breath back in him, Aichi made his way back to his feet before he staggered to his schoolbag. For a brief moment, Aichi considered just letting them run off but then his thoughts turned back to the day he was given that card and a determined expression settled on his features. A second later, his schoolbag was in hand as he began to chase after the one who had stolen his card.

"Aichi!" The blue-eyed teen looked over to see who had shouted his name and immediately recognized the shaggy red hair and black uniform of his closest friend, Ishida Naoki, as the teen rushed over to him. "The heck happened to you?!"

"Naoki-kun." Aichi felt a wave of relief wash over him, at least now he could count on someone having his back. The blue-haired teen wasted no time getting right to the heart of the matter, "It was taken from me. My card."

Naoki immediately connected the dots, his friend only ever referred to one card as 'his'. "Well what are we standing around here for?! Let's go get it back!"

Aichi grinned at his friend's unconditional support and nodded, "Right." The duo started running down the street with Aichi supplying their target destination, "Before they left I heard them say something about a Card Capital. I think I've seen that shop on my way to school."

"Yosh! We'll teach those jerks not to take things that aren't theirs!" Naoki shouted as the pair made their way through the somewhat crowded streets.

xxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, at Card Capital, Morikawa had just arrived with an out-of-breath Izaki bent double behind him. With a steely expression on his face, the black-haired teen entered the store while ignoring the muttered "Welcome" from the girl at the counter. He quickly scanned the customers inside the shop before his eyes landed on the easily discernible figure that had humiliated him in this shop just yesterday.

With slight sneer on his face, Morikawa stalked forward with a small shout, "Kai!" The brown-haired teen turned disinterested eyes in his direction as the teen with images of victory parading through his thoughts continued his tirade, "You and me! Right now!"

"Hm? Oh, you're that guy from yesterday," Kai muttered but his words were easily heard by the black-haired teen.

"Oh sure, talk big after beating me once!" Morikawa steamed as he looked down at the (in his mind) arrogant high-school student sitting before him. "We'll fight again to decide who the best in this shop is once and for all!"

"No."

Morikawa reeled back as if he had been physically struck, "What!?"

"You suck at Vanguard." That statement had the blonde-haired teen sitting across from Kai snickering fiercely. "Your fighting techniques are simplistic and have no depth. You rely far too much on the cards' brute strength. I won't get anything out of fighting you, so I won't."

"Now that's harsh dude," the blonde-haired teen with a small smirk.

Anger had been rising intensely in Morikawa as he listened to Kai's words until he couldn't take it anymore, "Won't get anything, huh?! Then if you win, I'll give you THIS card!" He pulled the Blaster Blade card out of his jacket pocket and held it out before him.

The blonde-haired teen leapt up in his seat, "Oh, Blaster Blade! How rare! I didn't think there were any more still out there."

Nobody noticed Kai's eyes gain a hard glint as he stared at the card held in the black-haired teen's hand, _'Blaster Blade? No, it couldn't be.'_ Unbidden, an image of a young, beaten-up, blue-haired boy came to the forefront of Kai's mind and the hand not holding up his head clenched into a fist.

Kai was drawn out of his thoughts by Morikawa's question, "So what'll it be?"

The stoic brown-haired teen was silent for a minute before he closed his eyes, "Fine."

The blonde-haired teen stood up as Morikawa smirked while making his way over to the now vacant chair. "It's on," the cocky teen stated. The two fighters quickly went through the pre-fight motions of placing their starter Vanguards, shuffling their decks, and making any necessary redraws.

In what seemed like no time at all, the two teens flipped over their cards as they called, "Stand up _the_ Vanguard!"

- {Some time later} -

Morikawa was freaking out, he was at four damage and he hadn't even been able to get any of his super strong grade threes out onto the field. "Darn it, why? Why is my luck so bad?" he asked out loud as he stared at his hand, specifically the legendary card he had managed to get thanks his fourth damage draw trigger.

"It's not your luck," Kai stated, his entire posture screaming his disinterest with this fight. "It's your skill. Ride the Vanguard!"

Morikawa flinched back in fear of the assault that was to come.

Meanwhile, outside the shop, an out-of-breath Aichi and Naoki had finally arrived at Card Capital.

The red-haired teen looked over at his friend and panted out, "Hey Aichi, is this the place?"

Aichi turned his gaze up to the shop entrance and nodded, "Yes, I think so." He then let out a yelp as he was dragged forward by his impatient friend. The door slid open as the two entered the store, taking in the sights as the long-haired girl at the counter gave them a quiet "Welcome".

"That makes six damage." This statement drew their attention to the table closest to the entrance where they saw a brown-haired teen in what looked like a high-school uniform facing off against another teen with black hair that was wearing the same uniform as Aichi. The brown-haired teen spoke up once more, "I win."

Morikawa growled in frustration. "This can't be possible! Is my luck really that bad? Oi!" he shouted when the blonde-haired teen standing over his shoulder plucked a card from his hand.

"Well that's a wrap," he stated cheerfully before expertly tossing the card to Kai so that it slid to a stop right in front of him. "Here ya go." Kai stared down at the card with arms crossed; wondering if this was the same card he had given away so many years ago. The blonde-haired teen noticed his pensive state and couldn't help commenting, "What's the matter? You don't seem all that interested…"

"Hey you jerk!" the four teens gathered around the table looked over at the angry form of Naoki as he strode forward with burning eyes locked on Morikawa, with a frowning Aichi behind him. Kai's eyes narrowed slightly as they took in the blue-haired teen. "You got some nerve just taking someone else's card! Who the heck does something like that?"

Aichi stepped up beside Naoki, facing the black-haired teen still sitting down, "Morikawa-kun, please give me my card back."

"Oh? And who are you guys?" the high-schooler with blonde hair asked.

His question went ignored as Aichi continued to talk to the one who had taken his card, "Please give it back, that card was given to me by someone very important a long time ago."

Morikawa turned away from the other two junior-high students as he muttered, "Don't look at me."

Naoki couldn't hold back his shout, "What's that supposed to mean!?"

The girl sitting at the counter looked up from her book with a small glare, "Don't shout in the store." Despite her not raising her voice, the group of teens easily got the message that she wasn't someone you wanted to mess with.

The high-schooler with blonde hair snapped his fingers in realization before gesturing down at the table, "Is that the card you're talking about?"

Aichi and Naoki looked down at the table and easily spotted Blaster Blade lying there. Aichi nearly collapsed with relief as he nodded. "Yes, that's mine," he reached out to pick it up, only for it to be snatched up by Kai. Aichi looked up from the table and nearly jumped back in surprise when he got finally saw Kai's face. Shaking away his thoughts, the blue-haired teen said, "Please give it back."

Kai didn't answer for a moment, his eyes closed in thought before he opened them as he asked, "Why should I? This card is mine now."

Aichi gasped in shock while Naoki growled, "And what gives you the right to say that? We just told you all that jerk over there stole that card."

Kai regarded the red-haired teen for a moment before he stood up to face the two junior-high students, "To we Vanguard Fighters, nothing is more sacred than the results of a fight. This guy over here challenged me to a fight by betting this card, and lost." Morikawa growled lightly at the reminder.

"B-but, it's my…" Aichi started to say, only to be interrupted by Kai.

"Something that is lost in a Vanguard fight can only be taken back by a Vanguard fight," the brown-haired teen stated as he stared down at the Royal Paladin card in his hand.

Aichi was silent as he took in that statement before he thought back on all the work he had put in to making a deck to go along with that Blaster Blade and a determined expression settled on his features. "Then fight me," he declared.

The other teens gathered at the table stared at Aichi in surprise before Naoki started smirking at his best friend. Even the lavender-haired girl sitting at the counter looked up from her book in surprise, having already pegged the blue-haired teen as being extremely shy.

A small chuckle escaped Kai as he lightly smiled down at Aichi, "Sure, I'm game." The blonde-haired teen also smiled at the honest expression he saw on his friend's face.

Morikawa wasn't about to let this shy little pipsqueak make such a bold claim unchallenged though as he stood up, "Hold on there! Just what are you saying, Aichi? I thought you'd said you'd never played a Vanguard fight before? Do you even have a deck?!"

Naoki just smirked as Aichi opened his schoolbag. "Shows what you know loser," the red-haired teen stated.

"What did you say?!" Morikawa cried, being held back by Izaki from making things worse.

"Well, it's true that I've never had a fight before," Aichi stated as he rummaged through his bag before he pulled out a dark-red case that bore a Vanguard circle on it, "but I've always wanted to, so I made this deck."

"Seriously?" Morikawa muttered in disbelief.

Kai glared at Morikawa, "Oh? I wasn't aware that you put something important to you on the line when we fought. From what I remember you simply gambled with a card that you just _happened _to have, thus you didn't really lose anything when you did lose. I don't want to hear anything from someone with such a lack of resolve." The brown-haired teen gestured to where Morikawa was sitting as he turned his attention back to Aichi, "You're on. Sit over there."

The blonde-haired teen smiled widely as he pushed Morikawa and Izaki out of the way, "Time for losers to stand aside."

Aichi made his way over to the vacated seat with Naoki following to stand over his shoulder. Meanwhile, the blonde-haired high-schooler went to stand behind Kai while Morikawa and Izaki were forced to stand on the side of the table.

"What're you looking at?" Morikawa muttered when he noticed the blonde teen glance his way.

"Heh. The same thing you are," was the reply. "This is a fight between someone who's never had a fight and the strongest player in the store. This is gonna be hilarious." Naoki scowled across the table at the comment, causing the blonde-haired teen to give an 'easy, easy' gesture.

"Hey!" Morikawa exclaimed in protest. "He's not the best yet. Today was just a…" he trailed off when he noticed the focused expression Kai had suddenly adopted.

Kai ignored the conversation going on around the table as he focused on his opponent. "Since you haven't had a fight before, I feel I need to ask if you need the rules explained to you," the brown-haired teen stated.

Aichi shook his head, "No, I know the basic rules. I just never felt ready to actually have a fight with someone."

Kai nodded his head in acknowledgement of Aichi's statement. "Before we begin, your deck won't be complete without this Blaster Blade, correct?" he asked as he held up said card.

Aichi nodded, "That's right."

"Very well." He slid the card across the table as he explained, "You can borrow it for the fight. That should be a decent enough handicap for me."

The blue-haired teen picked up the card with a small smile. _'Welcome back,'_ he whispered mentally as he felt the familiar presence of his mental Blaster Blade. "Thank you," Aichi said to Kai as he quickly shuffled the card into his deck.

The blonde-haired teen whistled lightly before commenting, "Wow, never thought I'd see the day when you'd be so nice."

Kai looked up at his friend, "Miwa…"

"Fine, fine," Miwa replied as he backed off. "No need to be such a sourpuss." Kai just sighed at his friend's attitude and placed his shuffled deck in the appropriate spot, Aichi mimicking him before both placed their chosen starting Vanguard face down in the center circle of their respective front rows.

The two teens drew their required five cards, Aichi putting two triggers he had drawn back into his deck while Kai kept his hand as it was. After Aichi had re-drawn two more cards, a tension-filled silence descended on the group.

"Picture it…" Kai suddenly stated. "The two of us have appeared on a planet similar to Earth called Cray as astral spirits without solid form." The pair closed their eyes, imagining the journey their spirits had just taken through the universe.

_A rocky landscape, dominated by skyscraping towers of stone decorated with sparse vegetation took shape in their minds as a distant sun shined brightly overhead. With swirl of grey mist, Aichi and Kai faded into view. Aichi took a moment to look around at the surroundings in wonder before he focused his attention back on Kai._

"_Are you ready?" Kai asked, a grin forming when Aichi nodded back at him. "Right then. Stand up THE Vanguard!" A red aura overtook Kai before he was replaced by an armored, bipedal lizard wielding a pair of blades. "Lizard Runner, Undeux!"_

_Aichi gulped at the intimidating image before declaring, "And for me: Stardust Trumpeter! Stand up!" A bright blue aura swallowed up Aichi as he changed to a small angel-like kid with an old-fashioned trumpet in hand._

Kai nodded as he began to speak; "Now we are both standing on the planet Cray as Vanguards. I'll take the first turn, if that's alright with you?" At Aichi's nod, he drew a card. "First I draw, then I'll ride the Embodiment of Armor, Bahr! And call, Flame of Hope, Aermo!"

_The Lizard Runner was consumed by the red aura once again before it vanished to reveal a demonic, blue skinned figure in dark red armor that brandished a large blade __**(Embodiment of Armor, Bahr. Power: 8000)**__. Behind this unit, a red skinned salamander-human hybrid garbed in a simple loincloth rose up in a flash of red light __**(Flame of Hope, Aermo. Power: 6000)**__. On Aichi's side of the field, the Trumpeter took a nervous step back._

"Since I took the first turn, I can't attack," Kai stated. "It's your turn now."

**Kai  
>Hand: 4 Cards<br>Front Row: Empty – Embodiment of Armor, Bahr – Empty  
>Back Row: Empty – Flame of Home, Aermo – Empty<br>Damage Count: 0**

**Aichi  
>Hand: 5 Cards<br>Front Row: Empty – Stardust Trumpeter – Empty  
>Back Row: Empty – Empty – Empty<br>Damage Count: 0**

Aichi nodded, "Right. I draw for my turn." Aichi added the card to his hand and glanced at his line-up before plucking one of them out. "I ride the Little Sage, Marron! I also call Wingal, Starlight Unicorn, and Knight of the Rose, Morgana to the rearguard."

_Aichi's Vanguard vanished in a flash of blue as a young man garbed in blue and white clothing rose up, a thick tome of ancient spells clutched in his hand __**(Little Sage, Marron. Power: 8000)**__. With a bark and a growl, a blue-furred dog with bat-like wings also flashed into appearance behind the sage __**(Wingal. Power: 6000)**__. Then, to the right of Marron, a blonde-haired female knight rose to her feet drawing a sword that had a stylized rose as a hilt guard __**(Knight of Rose, Morgana. Power: 6000)**__. Behind Morgana, a unicorn with a mane that bore every color snorted as it formed __**(Starlight Unicorn. Power: 6000)**__._

"Ah, Starlight Unicorn's skill activates," Aichi stated after a quick minute to re-read the card's effect. "When it's placed on a rearguard circle I can give one of my Royal Paladins plus two thousand power until the end of my turn. I'll give that power to Marron."

_On the battlefield, the unicorn reared up onto its hind legs as a stream of power traveled from it to Marron, increasing the Sage's strength __**(Little Sage, Marron. Power: 10000)**__._

"Now, I'll attack with Marron and it receives a boost from Wingal," Aichi declared as he rested both cards.

Kai was silent for only a moment before he said, "No guard."

Aichi reached for his deck as he said, "Check for a drive trigger." He turned over the top card to reveal another copy of Marron. "No trigger."

**{Drive check = Little Sage, Marron}**

_On Cray, the blue hi-beast glowed as he transferred his power to Marron __**(Power: 10000 + 6000 = 16000)**__. The Little Sage opened his tome of spells and flipped through the pages before stopping at one in particular. A glyph of power flashed into existence before a bolt of golden energy lanced out and struck Bahr, sending the demon staggering back in pain._

"Check the damage trigger," Kai replied, turning over his card to reveal a grade three unit.

**{Damage check = Dragon Monk, Goku}**

Aichi turned his attention back to his own units and declared his next move, "Knight of Rose, Morgana attacks with a boost from Starlight Unicorn."

_Once again, the unicorn glowed with power as Morgana became strengthened by her ally's aid __**(Power: 6000 + 6000 = 12000)**__. With a shout of determination, she rushed forward with her blade at the ready. Her attack was successful and once again sent the demonic Bahr stumbling back._

Kai silently checked for a damage trigger once again, glancing at the card as he added it to his damage zone with a simple, "No trigger."

**{Damage check = Flame of Hope, Aermo}**

Aichi let out a small breath to settle his nerves, "I end my turn." Naoki, a large grin on his face, clapped a hand on his friends shoulder in support.

**Kai  
>Hand: 4 Cards<br>Front Row: Empty – Embodiment of Armor, Bahr – Empty  
>Back Row: Empty – Flame of Hope, Aermo – Empty<br>Damage: Dragon Monk, Goku / Flame of Hope, Aermo **

**Aichi  
>Hand: 3 Cards<br>Front Row: Empty – Little Sage, Marron – Knight of Rose, Morgana  
>Back Row: Empty – Wingal – Starlight Unicorn<br>Damage count: 0**

"I draw for my turn," Kai stated as he added a card to his hand, plucking a different one out from those gathered. "Ride Dragon Knight Nehalem! Call Bahr!"

_Kai's Vanguard dispersed in an aura of red before reforming into an armored knight, armed with a large lance and kite shield that stood atop a snarling dragon __**(Dragon Knight Nehalem. Power: 10000)**__. In the space to the left of Nehalem a second Bahr arose, poised to attack __**(Power: 8000)**__._

A smirk settled on Kai's face as he rested his rearguard first, "Bahr attacks Marron!"

Aichi quickly pulled out a card from his hand and placed it on the guardian circle, "I guard with Bringer of Good Luck, Epona!"

_The red armored demon rushed forward, eager to inflict harm. The unit was stopped in its tracks though by the appearance of a small armored warrior riding astride a large flying beetle __**(8000 power + 10000 shield = 18000 shield)**__. Bahr merely smirked as he withdrew from combat, watching as Epona burst into light-blue motes of light._

"Now Nehalem attacks with a boost from Aermo!" Kai declared, resting both cards, after Aichi had moved his Epona card to the drop zone.

Aichi quickly considered, taking in the shields of all the cards in his hands before he sighed, "I don't guard."

"Check the drive trigger," Kai announced as he turned over the top card, smiling as crimson light shone from the card while Aichi gasped in shock. "Got a draw trigger. I give the +5000 power to my vanguard and draw a card."

**{Drive check = Dragon Dancer, Monica / Draw Trigger}**

_The dragon knight chuckled darkly as the salamander kid behind him pulsed with a flaming aura that engulfed Nehalem, with another golden aura gathering in his lance __**(Power: 10000+ 6000 + 5000 = 21000)**__. The lance erupted with energy as the dragon knight thrust his lance forward, a burst of violet energy launching forward to engulf Marron and made the little sage shout in pain._

"Damage check," Aichi muttered, turning over the card. He frowned at the unit shown there and moved it to his damage zone, "No trigger."

**{Damage check = Flash Shield, Iseult}**

Kai smirked as he gazed at his opponent, "I end my turn."

**Kai  
>Hand: 4 cards<br>Front Row: Embodiment of Armor, Bahr – Dragon Knight, Nehalem – Empty  
>Back Row: Empty – Flame of Hope, Aermo – Empty<br>Damage: Dragon Monk, Goku / Flame of Hope, Aermo**

**Aichi  
>Hand: 2 cards<br>Front Row: Empty – Little Sage, Marron – Knight of Rose, Morgana  
>Back Row: Empty – Wingal – Starlight Unicorn<br>Damage: Flash Shield, Iseult**

"Stand and Draw," Aichi muttered as he went through the motions. Picking out one of his cards, he placed it down on the Vanguard circle, "Ride! Knight of Silence, Gallatin and call Little Sage, Marron!"

_Marron closed his eyes as he disappeared in a flash of blue, out of the light formed a noble warrior. His eyes were hidden behind a red cloth, yet that did nothing to impede his actions as he smoothly drew forth a plain long sword __**(Knight of Silence, Gallatin. Power: 10000)**__. Morgana smiled in relief at the sight of this ally even as another Marron rose up in the final column __**(Power: 8000)**__._

"Unicorn boosts and Morgana attacks Nehalem!" Aichi declared as he rested said units.

Kai slapped one of his cards down into the Guardian circle, "Guard! Dragon Dancer Monica!"

_Morgana leapt forward, glowing with the power she was given by her ally __**(Power: 6000 + 6000 = 12000)**__. In front of Nehalem, a women garbed in revealing, dragon-inspired clothes appeared taking a defensive posture __**(10000 power + 5000 shield = 15000 shield)**__. Morgana halted her attack before leaping back to stand by her allies even as Monica vanished._

Aichi rested his two center units as he said, "Gallatin attacks your Vanguard and Wingal boosts."

Kai closed his eyes and answered with two simple words, "No guard."

The blue-haired teen nodded as he reached for his deck, "Drive trigger, check. No trigger." He held up the card that pictured a blue-furred hi-beast with bat-like wings.

**{Drive Check = Wingal}**

_The Wingal on the field glowed with power that quickly transferred to the blind swordsman. With a grunt of effort, Gallatin leapt forward as he brandished his blade. A clang of steel on steel echoed across the battlefield as the Paladin's sword met the Dragon Knight's large shield._

"Check, damage trigger," Kai announced as he turned over the top card of his deck. The grade three card was then silently put into the damage zone.

**{Damage check = Dragon Monk, Goku}**

"Marron attacks Bahr!" Aichi declared as he turned his card sideways. Kai remained silent as he placed Bahr into the drop zone for retired cards. The blue-haired teen let out a small breath, "I end my turn."

**Kai  
>Hand: 3 cards<br>Front Row: Empty – Dragon Knight, Nehalem – Empty  
>Back Row: Empty – Flame of Hope, Aermo – Empty<br>Damage: Dragon Monk, Goku / Flame of Hope, Aermo / Dragon Monk, Goku**

**Aichi  
>Hand: 2 cards<br>Front Row: Little Sage, Marron – Knight of Silence, Gallatin – Knight of Rose, Morgana  
>Back Row: Empty – Wingal – Starlight Unicorn<br>Damage: Flash Shield, Iseult**

"It's my turn. Stand and draw," Kai stated as he went through all the motions. After a quick moment of consideration, he threw down three cards, "Call Wyvern Strike Tejas, Wyvern Strike Jarran, and Berserk Dragon!"

_On Kai's side of the field, two units rose to the right of Nehalem. Both were armored knights that were riding differently colored mechanical wyverns, the one in front blue while the one behind it was red __**(Wyvern Strike, Tejas. Power: 8000) (Wyvern Strike, Jarran. Power: 6000)**__. On the Dragon Knight's left, a twin-headed dragon appeared in a red flash of light with a roar of anger __**(Berserk Dragon. Power: 9000)**__. _

"Berserk Dragon has a skill," Kai informed his opponent as he reached for his damage zone. He proceeded to flip over two of the cards there as he continued speaking, "By paying a cost of two, I can retire one of my opponent's grade 2 or less cards. I choose Starlight Unicorn." Aichi moved said card to his drop zone with a small frown.

Kai rested his dragon as he called out, "Berserk Dragon attacks Marron!"

The blue-haired teen quickly held out one of his cards, "Wingal! Guard!"

_The dragon with dual heads roared as it unleashed a torrent of flames at the little sage, only for a copy of the blue-furred hi-beast to intercept the attack __**(8000 power + 5000 shield = 13000 shield)**__. Wingal yowled in pain as the flames engulfed him and forced him to shatter in a smattering of blue motes. Marron frowned in sadness at the loss of his ally, even though it meant he was safe from the attack. _

"Now Jarran boosts Tejas to attack your Vanguard," Kai stated as he turned the two cards.

"Two wyverns?" Aichi asked. _On Cray, Aichi's Gallatin took a step backwards as the twin Wyverns prepared to launch their attack._

Kai smirked, "That's right. But that's not all, when Jarran boosts Tejas an extra four thousand points are added to the attack power!" Aichi gasped at that information.

_The twin wyverns and their riders glowed with a fierce light as a whirring sound could be heard from the mechanical beasts __**(Power: 8000 + 6000 + 4000 = 18000)**__. A salvo of lasers launched from Tejas and slammed into Gallatin, who braced himself against the hits._

"Damage check," Aichi said as he flipped the card. The card was then placed into the damage zone as he said, "Not a trigger."

**{Damage check = Little Sage, Marron}**

'_The damage is two to three, so even if he hits me again we'll be tied,'_ Aichi thought to himself as he looked over the field.

"I hope you're not feeling too relieved," Kai said as he interrupted Aichi's thoughts. "Because I still have one attack left. Aermo boosts Nehalem to attack Gallatin. Check the drive trigger," he said after Aichi indicated he wouldn't be guarding. A smirk made its way to Kai's lips as he twisted the card around to reveal a golden glow, "Got a critical trigger! Nehalem gets plus five thousand power and deals an extra point of damage."

**{Drive check = Embodiment of Spear, Tahr / Critical Trigger}**

_Aermo once again transferred his fiery aura to Kai's Vanguard, whom glowed even brighter as the power of the critical trigger was absorbed by the Dragon Knight __**(Power: 10000 + 6000 + 5000 = 21000. Critical: 2)**__. The dragon riders lance overflowed with power as he launched a beam of violent energy at the blindfolded knight. The force behind the attack was so great the very earth underneath the knights feet fractured as a giant column of flames engulfed him, causing him to scream in pain._

In the real world Aichi also let loose a scream of fright at the image his mind supplied. He flew back in his chair and would have fallen had it not been for Naoki being right behind him to catch him in time. "Oi! You okay there Aichi?" Naoki asked as he helped Aichi back to a seating position.

**{Damage check = Wingal}  
>{Damage check = Knight of the Harp, Tristan}<strong>

"Two damage, just like that," Aichi muttered after having made his damage checks.

Kai smirked at Aichi, having heard the other teens mutter. "That's right. This is Vanguard!" Kai declared with fire in his eyes.

**Kai  
>Hand: 2 cards<br>Front Row: Berserk Dragon – Dragon Knight, Nehalem – Wyvern Strike, Tejas  
>Back Row: Empty – Flame of Hope, Aermo – Wyvern Strike, Jarran<br>Damage: Dragon Monk, Goku (F) / Flame of Hope, Aermo (F) / Dragon Monk, Goku**

**Aichi  
>Hand: 1 card<br>Front Row: Little Sage, Marron – Knight of Silence, Gallatin – Knight of Rose, Morgana  
>Back Row: Empty – Wingal – Empty<br>Damage: Flash Shield, Iseult / Little Sage, Marron / Wingal / Knight of the Harp, Tristan**

Miwa spoke up in the brief silence that followed that statement, "Well I guess this is as good as over."

Morikawa though, arrogantly smirked, "Oh, I could totally make a comeback here." Only Izaki seemed to agree with that statement.

"Yeah right." Those standing looked over at a smirking Naoki who crossed his arms as he said, "You should know better than to count your chickens before they hatch."

Aichi silently stood his units and drew his next card, his eyes widening in surprise at what he just drew before he closed them. Kai noticed his actions and asked, "What's the matter? Have you lost the will to fight?"

Aichi chuckled lightly as he shook his head. The others, aside from Naoki, looked on in shock at the change in Aichi's posture as the blue-haired teen spoke, "You're amazing, just as I always figured. But…this is really fun, Kai-kun."

Miwa blinked in surprise, quickly going through all the conversation since Aichi had arrived and came to a realization, "How do you know Kai's name? Especially since you two didn't introduce yourselves to each other."

Again, Miwa's question went ignored as Kai's smirk widened a tad bit, "Just as I thought. You are Sendou Aichi. It's been a long time."

"It has," Aichi agreed with a small nod. "It's always been my dream to have a fight like this with you Kai-kun, ever since that day. And now, I'm going to use the power that you gave me that day in this fight we're having now," Aichi said as he held up the card he just drew, twisting it around to show a very specific card: Blaster Blade.

If possible, Kai's smile grew again, "I see."

"Here we go!" Aichi held up the card as he exclaimed, "Tachiagure, boku no bunshin! Raido! Burasutā Burēdo!"

_On the planet Cray, a blinding column of light engulfed Gallatin as a horn call could be heard. After only a few seconds, a gleaming white sword cut through the column of light to reveal the shining armor of one of the Royal Paladins greatest warriors. His blade was stabbed point first into the earth as he stood tall like a beacon in the darkness __**(Blaster Blade. Power: 9000)**__. Surprisingly, the iconic warrior took on Aichi's facial features as a thick lock of blue hair fell from the front of the warrior's helm._

The entire store seemed to go silent at this development with Aichi being filled with a surge of strength, especially when a mental whisper reached him, _'__Remember this Aichi. Against any enemy, a Royal Paladin becomes much stronger when they fight alongside their allies. So it shall be with us, no matter the enemy, from this day forth we fight as one.__'_

Aichi answered his mental image of Blaster Blade with his own determined nod, _'Thank you Blaster Blade, for standing at my side all these years. Now, let's fight together!'_

While Aichi was getting a mental pep-talk from his avatar, Morikawa was in a small state of disbelief, "He rides Blaster Blade now, of all times? Man, how lucky can ya get?"

Those in the group that were standing all jumped lightly in surprise at the voice that jumped in, "If you keep thinking like that, you'll never get far in this game." Indeed, the girl who had been sitting at the counter had made her way over to the group with a small cat cradled in her arms and was now watching the game with interest. The attention of those standing was drawn back down at the sound of Aichi's voice.

"Blaster Blade's skill activates, by paying a cost of two I can retire any one of my opponent's rear-guards. Pinpoint Burst!" Aichi stated as he flipped over two of his cards. "Wyvern Strike, Tejas is retired."

Kai silently moved the card to his drop zone before he smiled up at Aichi, "I remember that day Sendou Aichi. You were all beat-up then, were you not?"

"Hai. Back then I was always getting beaten up almost anywhere I went. It made it really hard to go to school sometimes. It was like I was slowly being suffocated by the world around me…" Aichi trailed off as he became lost in memories. With a friendly smile, Naoki laid a hand on Aichi's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze which prompted Aichi to look up at his friend and smile back with a small nod.

Aichi sighed softly as he turned his attention back to Kai, "Ever since you gave me this card, a light has shown in my world. After I got this Blaster Blade I dreamed of having a fight with you and began to work hard to put together a deck. Not long after that day though, you moved away Kai-kun."

"I did," Kai softly stated as he recalled the reason he had moved. The smoke…and flames that had devoured that life.

"But while I was making this deck, I forgot about all the bad and harsh things around me," Aichi continued. Hearing this, Miwa looked over at the two had been the cause of the current fight with a hard gaze while both of them immediately shook their heads. "In fact, I was even able to make a friend not long after you left," the blue-haired teen said as he cast another look up to Naoki.

Said redhead just shrugged when everyone turned to look at him, "I went to the same elementary school as Aichi, and we were even in the same class so I could see all the stuff Aichi was being put through. Eventually I got sick and tired of everybody picking on him and stood up to the bullies. We've been best buds ever since even though Aichi's mom had him transfer to a different junior high."

"I still can't picture myself big and strong like Blaster Blade," Aichi stated, reminding Kai of the words he had spoken so many years ago. "But the person who showed me the path to that strength was you Kai-kun!"

Kai's eyes suddenly hardened, as the image of another teen abruptly entered his thoughts, _'Ren'_.

Aichi took the final card in his hand and placed it on a rear-guard circle, "Call, Knight of Silence Gallatin!" He then switched its place with the Little Sage, Marron that was in the same column, "I move these two units and then attack with Blaster Blade supported by Wingal! Wingal's skill gives Blaster Blade plus four thousand attack power."

_The sword of the iconic warrior began to glow with power as Wingal lent his strength to his ally __**(Power: 9000 + 6000 + 4000 = 19000)**__. With a battle cry, Blaster Blade leapt high into the air towards his target. Steel ground against steel, as the Paladin's legendary blade clashed with the Dragon Knight's shield. _

"Drive Trigger, check!" Aichi called once it became clear Kai wasn't going to guard. He turned over the top card to reveal a crimson light. "Got a Draw trigger. I give the power to Morgana and draw one card."

**{Drive check = Weapons Dealer, Govannon / Draw Trigger}**

Kai checked the top card of his deck before sliding into his damage zone with a stoic look on his face.

**{Damage check = Dragon Knight, Nehalem}**

Aichi rested two more of his units, "Gallatin attacks your Vanguard with a boost from Marron." Again, Kai simply placed the card into his damage zone.

**{Damage check = Wyvern Guard, Barri}**

"Now Morgana attacks your Vanguard!" Aichi cried as he rested his final unit.

Miwa let loose a soft whistle, "A triple attack huh?"

Morikawa, meanwhile, couldn't help but mutter, "Is this really the Sendou Aichi I know?"

"Guard."

_Morgana rushed forward, eager to deal the final blow that would win this conflict __**(Power: 6000 + 5000 = 11000)**__. However her progress was stopped by the appearance of Kai's guardian: Dragon Dancer Monica __**(10000 power + 5000 shield = 15000 shield)**__. Morgana sheathed her blade with a frown as she leaped back while Monica dispersed._

"I end my turn," Aichi stated as Kai moved Monica to the drop zone.

**Kai  
>Hand: 1 card<br>Front Row: Berserk Dragon – Dragon Knight, Nehalem – Empty  
>Back Row: Empty – Flame of Hope, Aermo – Wyvern Strike, Tejas<br>Damage: Dragon Monk, Goku (F) / Flame of Hope, Aermo (F) / Dragon Monk, Goku / Dragon Knight, Nehalem / Wyvern Guard, Barri**

**Aichi  
>Hand: 2 cards<br>Front Row: Knight of Silence, Gallatin – Blaster Blade – Knight of Rose, Morgana  
>Back Row: Little Sage, Marron – Wingal – Empty<br>Damage: Flash Shield, Iseult (F) / Wingal (F) / Little Sage, Marron / Knight of the Harp, Tristan**

"Wow, five damage…" Izaki muttered.

Morikawa grunted in agreement, "One more hit and it's over for Kai. Guess he ain't such a big shot after all!"

"Oh?" Miwa asked with a small grin. "I wouldn't say that. After all, Kai here ain't even breaking a sweat. I think it should be obvious he has some plan to win."

Aichi looked up from the field with a small grin on his face, "It's your turn Kai-kun."

Kai was silent for a moment, still caught up in memories of a friend that become obsessed with strength and power. After a moment Kai smirked, letting loose a dark chuckle, "I showed you the way? You're totally taking me the wrong way."

"Huh?" Aichi muttered as he stared at Kai in confusion.

Kai continued on, "When I gave you that card, all I wanted to do was get you hooked on Vanguard so that I could collect rare cards from you later." Aichi couldn't contain his gasp of shock.

"Ooh, that's so evil!" Izaki exclaimed while Morikawa let loose a small mutter about how Kai must have been gunning for him as well.

Miwa, meanwhile, glanced down at his friend with a frown, _'Kai, you wouldn't do something like that. So why would you tell him…?' _He wasn't the only one thinking along these lines as both Naoki and the store clerk narrowed their eyes in suspicion.

Aichi spoke up, "Th-that's a lie! You're not that kind of person."

The blue-haired teen's protests only served to prod the smoldering embers of Kai's anger as he was bombarded by more memories about a friend that he couldn't save, "Shut up! I'm not the person you think I am! Don't go deciding that sort of thing all on your own!" "_Well Kai, are you strong?"_ these words spoken by one he thought of as a friend had Kai's fingers trembling slightly as he placed a hand on his deck, "I…I…"

Aichi gasped slightly as Kai's deck seemed to catch on fire, with a similar trail of the element following in the wake of the card the brown-haired teen had just drawn. _'What was…?'_ The blue-haired teen thought to himself before he gulped at the dark smirk that appeared on Kai's lips.

"Just watch. This is who I really am!" Kai declared before raising his card high, Miwa's eyes widened as they caught sight of what Kai was about to play. "Raido za Vangādo! Kono se no subete o yakitsukusu mokushiroku no honoo! DORAGONIKKU ŌBĀRŌDO!"

_A column of fire erupted and engulfed Nehalem, scorching the earth with the intensity of its blaze. Eventually a towering shadow could be seen in the pillar of fire before it died down to reveal an immense dragon standing there with a blade as white as pure bone clutched in its hand and garbed in armor that was darker than blood __**(Dragonic Overlord. Power: 11000)**__. The Paladins all took defensive stances at the appearance of this new unit._

Morikawa scowled at the sight of the new Vanguard, "That's the card that did me in."

"This fight is over," Kai stated as he moved Jarran forward. "At a cost of three cards, I activate Dragonic Overlord's counterblast! Overlord's power increases by five thousand!" Aichi gritted his teeth as he prepared for the attack that was to come. "Here I go, Berserk Dragon attacks Blaster Blade!"

"Guard, Flogal!"

_The twin-headed dragon roared as it lunged forward with jaws open wide, only to be stopped by a pink-furred hi-beast that leapt in its way while Blade hopped back __**(9000 power + 10000 shield = 19000 shield)**__. The dragon withdrew after dispersing Flogal._

"I'm not done yet," Kai declared as he rested his next unit. "Jarran attacks…Morgana!"

Aichi held in a gasp of surprise before placing his final card in the guarding circle, "Weapons Dealer, Govannon guards!"

_Morgana braced herself for the incoming attack from the mechanical wyvern before a stocky gnome appeared before her, brandishing a sword of unknown make __**(6000 power + 5000 shield = 11000 shield)**__. Jarran cancelled his attack run and retreated back to the Kagero lines as Govannon vanished in a swirl of blue motes._

Aichi let loose a small sigh as he placed the card into his drop zone, _'Thank you for your aid.'_

"Hmph. Used up your whole hand to guard huh?" Kai asked as he placed a hand on his Vanguard. "Without a boost, Overlord attacks Gallatin!"

"What?! Gallatin!" Aichi shouted in surprise.

"That's not all. Check the drive trigger!" Kai declared before holding up the card to reveal a copy of Dragonic Overlord.

**[Drive check = Dragonic Overlord]**

_The armored dragon rose up and let loose a blast of flames that engulfed the blindfold-wearing knight, bringing forth a scream of pain as he shattered into motes __**(Power: 11000 + 5000 = 16000)**__._

"Gallatin is retired," Aichi muttered as he moved said card to his drop zone.

Kai's smirk never wavered as he placed his hand back on his Vanguard, "And now, Dragonic Overlord…stands." The card was turned upright as Aichi gasped in shock. "Oh? Didn't you know? The other part of Overlords counter-blast is that whenever it hits and defeats an opponent's rear-guards, this unit stands! It won't stop until everything in this world is burnt to ash!" The flames danced before his eyes, consuming everything in their vision. "This is Dragonic Overlords ability: Eternal Flame!"

Aichi's eyes widened as he figured out what Kai now planned to do, "You…"

"Dragonic Overlord now attacks Morgana! Once again, check the drive trigger!" Kai called as he turned over the card to reveal a third copy of his Vanguard.

**[Drive check = Dragonic Overlord]**

_Overlords flames leapt forth once again, this time aimed at the lone female knight __**(Power: 11000 + 5000 = 16000)**__. Morgana screamed in pain as she was consumed, Blaster Blade shielding himself as best he could from the flames with a pained expression as his comrade vanished._

Aichi moved Morgana to his drop zone, placing her atop his retired Gallatin, "Morgana also goes to the drop zone."

Kai once again stood his Vanguard, "You can see it, can't you? The attack I'm about to unleash upon you. These flames will consume all in their path and that includes your Blaster Blade!" Kai rested his final two units as he declared, "With a boost from Aermo, Dragonic Overlord attacks your Vanguard!"

"Heh, no going easy on him huh?" Miwa asked with a small grin.

"Man, I really wish had that card!" Morikawa shouted. "If I had me one it'd be straight wins for me no question." This drew many disbelieving looks in his direction from those gathered.

Ignoring the byplay, Aichi fearfully muttered, "I can't guard this."

"Check the drive trigger." This time, the overturned card shone with a golden light as Kai's smirk widened and Aichi once again gasped. "Get! Critical Trigger activates! I give all the effects to Dragonic Overlord!"

**{Drive check = Embodiment of Spear, Tahr / Critical Trigger}**

_Towering like destruction incarnate, Overlord let loose his hellish flames once again upon Aichi's forces __**(Power: 11000 + 6000 + 5000 + 5000 = 26000. Critical: 2)**__. Blaster Blade let loose a shout of pain as the searing flames of Overlord engulfed him._

"That's two damage in addition to the four you already have. This fight is over," Kai stated with certainty.

Miwa let out a small chuckle as Morikawa muttered, "Yup. Definitely over."

Naoki scowled in their direction, "Nothings over until there's six cards sitting in Aichi's damage zone, so shut it."

"Damage trigger, first check," Aichi muttered as he turned over the card, frowning when no trigger showed. "No trigger."

**{Damage check = Knight of Silence, Gallatin}**

"Se-second check," Aichi muttered, his hand hesitating as it rest on top of his deck. _'Is this it? Am I about to lose? I don't want to, I want to win so that I don't lose Blaster Blade.'_

The voice of his card came at that moment, _'__Then believe. Have faith in this deck you built and we will not fail you.__'_

Aichi's eyes closed as he considered the word spoken to him. When they opened again, there was only a steely determination present in those blue orbs, _'I will believe. So long as you're standing with me, then I will continue to believe in this deck.'_ "Second Check!" Aichi called out as he turned over the top card, a gasp escaping from some of those watching as the card shone with a soothing green light. Aichi looked up into Kai's eyes as he said, "I got a heal trigger. I give the power to Blaster Blade and heal one point of damage."

**{Damage check = Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine / Heal Trigger}**

Aichi placed his trigger into the damage zone and then removed one of the facedown cards from that area. After he placed it in his drop zone, he turned his gaze back towards a frowning Kai.

The frown changed to a smirk as Kai said, "It's your turn, Sendou Aichi."

**Kai  
>Hand: 3 Cards<br>Front Row: Berserk Dragon – Dragonic Overlord – Wyvern Strike, Jarran  
>Back Row: Empty – Flame of Hope, Aermo – Empty<br>Damage: Dragon Monk, Goku (F) / Flame of Hope, Aermo (F) / Dragon Monk, Goku (F) / Dragon Knight, Nehalem (F) / Wyvern Guard, Barri (F)**

**Aichi  
>Hand: 0 cards<br>Front Row: Empty – Blaster Blade – Empty  
>Back Row: Little Sage, Marron – Wingal – Empty<br>Damage: Little Sage, Marron (F) / Wingal / Knight of the Harp, Tristan / Knight of Silence, Gallatin / Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine**

"Stand and draw," Aichi said as he performed the required actions and spent a short moment staring at the card in his hand.

"Hm, now it's Aichi's attack" Morikawa muttered. "Kai's at five damage so one good hit will finish him off."

Izaki's expression showed extreme surprise as he asked, "So Aichi's actually going to win?"

"We'll see," Miwa answered from behind Kai. "It all depends on the type of attack Aichi is able to put forth."

"I don't believe what you said before Kai-kun," Aichi suddenly stated, drawing everyone's attention back to the two fighters.

Kai stared hard at his opponent, "What?"

"You said that you gave me Blaster Blade so that you could collect the rare card I gathered. But if that's the case, then…" Aichi turned his gaze to the card resting in his Vanguard circle, "then this card wouldn't have given me the courage that it did all these years."

"Ridiculous…" Kai said as he looked away from Aichi, trying his best not to be swayed by these words. Words that were so different from _his_.

"No, Kai-kun. No matter what you try to say to me here, Blaster Blade has always been really important to me! And that is never going to change!" Kai heard these words and turned his gaze back to Aichi who had just closed his eyes as he continued speaking, "I can picture how I was when you gave Blaster Blade to me…and I can picture how you were back then too!" Aichi's deep-blue eyes stared defiantly into Kai's dark-green ones as he proclaimed, "The image in my mind is the truth! I can picture this fight…" Aichi's eyes once again closed as he held his drawn card to his forehead. A blue glow began to surround Aichi, a sight that was visible to only two people amongst those gathered. "I can picture my Blaster Blade defeating you Kai-kun!"

For a split-second, both Kai and Naoki could clearly see an image of the iconic Royal Paladin warrior forming over Aichi's body as he made his declaration.

"I call Knight Squire, Allen!" Aichi shouted as he placed his card down in the same column as Marron.

_In a flash of blue light, a young knight clad in armor of similar style to Blaster Blade to his place on the battlefield, holding his sword in a ready position without a single ounce of fear __**(Knight Squire, Allen. Power: 7000).**__ Blaster Blade nodded at the new arrival as he readied his own blade._

"I support Allen with Marron and attack Dragonic Overlord!" Aichi shouted as he rested his two units.

Kai slid his grade 2 rear-guard to the guardian circle, "Berserk Dragon intercepts!"

_With a shout of effort, Allen leapt forward to engage the Kagero Vanguard __**(Power: 7000 + 8000 = 15000)**__. The dragon with twin-heads quickly flew out to cut off the young knight but was cut in half by the Paladins blade. Allen was forced to fall back when he realized he wouldn't be able to damage Overlord._

"Hmph, your attack does not go through," Kai stated with a small smirk as he moved his unit to the drop zone.

"He defended!" Izaki shouted at the same time as Morikawa asked, "What's going to happen?"

"Aichi has one more chance," Miwa stated. "If he doesn't end it here, it will be completely impossible to defend against Kai's attack next turn."

The lavender-haired shop girl made a quick calculation of all that she could see, _'Blaster Blade's power is nine thousand. Wingal boosting him will bring that up to nineteen thousand. However, Kai's defensive capabilities equal twenty-one thousand. Without the added power of a trigger, Aichi's attack won't get through.'_

"This is the end. The Final Blade!" Aichi called out as he rested his two units. "Wingal boosts Blaster Blade to attack Overlord. Wingal's skill gives Blade an extra four thousand power!"

_Blaster Blade readied his blade, glowing with the added power given to him by his ally, and leapt high into the air __**(Power: 9000 + 6000 + 4000 = 19000)**__. A shout of effort left the warrior of light as he sailed through the air._

'_Kai-kun, it's always been my dream to have a fight like this with you. Ever since that day,'_ Aichi thought to himself as he stared into the eyes of his opponent.

"I guard with Tahr!" Kai shouted as he slapped the grade zero unit into the guardian zone. "With this your attack won't penetrate."

_The Royal Paladin warrior halted in mid-flight as the turban-wearing spear fighter appeared to block his path __**(11000 Power + 10000 Shield = 21000 Shield).**_

'_It comes to this then… please.' _Aichi reached out towards his deck and grabbed the topmost card. Again, he heard the voice of his partner echo in his mind _'__Believe__'_ as he called out, "Check for a drive trigger!" The whole world seemed to slow to a crawl as the card turned over, everyone seeming to hold their breath in anticipation of what would be revealed. Suddenly, a golden glow burst forth as the card was revealed. "Drive Trigger activates! Critical trigger! All of the effects go to Blaster Blade!"

**{Drive check = Bringer of Good Luck, Epona / Critical Trigger}**

_Blaster Blade shone with newfound power as he let loose a roar and continued his charge __**(Power: 19000 + 5000 = 24000. Critical: 2)**__. The shining sword sliced through the spear of Tahr and the Paladin continued his assault on the dragon standing before him. "Haaaaah!" Blaster Blade shouted as he rammed his blade into the chest of Dragonic Overload, bolts of lightning bursting forth from the point of contact. Gravity re-asserted its hold on Blaster Blade and he fell back to the earth while the leader of the Kagero forces burst into bright red motes of light, the Blade falling point-first to the ground below._

**{Damage check = Dragon Knight, Nehalem}**

The final point of damage softly fell into Kai's damage zone.

_On Cray, Kai's astral spirit stared at the Blaster Blade that bore Aichi's features for a moment before he started speaking, "Dragonic Overlord was defeated by Blaster Blade's attack. I have now returned to merely being a spirit and I have been extinguished from the Planet Cray."_

"_Kai…" Aichi muttered as he rose to his feet, the sound of his armor moving echoed across the plain._

"_I…have lost," Kai's spirit stated as he faded from view._

Kai silently gathered up his cards, replacing them into his deck with ease.

"Alright!" Naoki called as he wrapped an arm around his friend, "Nice going Aichi!"

"Well, I'll be," Miwa muttered with a small grin.

Kai suddenly stood up, bringing silence back to the table. He then reached across the table and proceeded to slide the Blaster Blade card at Aichi, who caught it before it could slide off the table.

Aichi then seemed to realize what had just happened as he stood up as well, "Kai-kun!"

Kai, who had turned to leave, held up a hand in a lazy salute, "Yeah, looks like that's your card after all." The brown-haired teen then headed right for the exit.

Miwa blinked in surprise at his friend's abrupt departure and hurried after him, "Kai! Oi!" Aichi was only a step behind Miwa as he also rushed to the door.

Kai had already gotten a small bit of distance when Aichi shouted, "Kai-kun." The brown-haired teen stopped, which allowed Miwa to catch up to him, before Aichi called out, "Thank you!" Miwa turned back to wave, a grin on his face since he managed to catch sight of Kai sporting his own honest smile. The two high-schoolers then continued down the street.

Aichi re-entered the store, just Morikawa and Izaki brushed past him without a word. Aichi sighed at their actions before turning back to the table where a widely grinning Naoki still stood while the shop girl had returned to her spot behind the counter.

"Man that was so cool!" Naoki said as Aichi began to gather up the rest of his cards. "Gah, now I really want to get my own deck and have my own fights. I was able to picture the fight as it was going, but I'd really rather be doing the fighting myself while I'm imagining it."

"Have you decided on your clan then?" Aichi asked, knowing that his friend had been having trouble making a choice.

The redhead sighed, "Nah. I still haven't found anything that really speaks to me, ya know? Like how you told me you felt when you were making your deck." Aichi nodded at Naoki's words. "I want to form a bond like you did, to have my deck really represent me."

"Well, give it time Naoki-kun," Aichi said with a sympathetic smile. "Maybe something will come out in the next booster pack that'll help you then."

"Yeah, I guess. Well, we'd better get home, don't want your mom to worry do we?" Naoki teased with a playful grin. Aichi grinned back as the pair exited the store.

The lavender-haired girl looked up from her book to watch them leave, more specifically a certain blue-haired boy.

xxxxxxxxxxx

The next day, Aichi felt like what had happened to him had almost been a dream as he went through his normal school day. Finally, as he was packing away his supplies after the last class had dismissed his hand brushed up against his deck case. Pulling it out, Aichi smiled lightly as he slid the topmost card out to reveal the warrior clad in blue and white armor. Suddenly, he was pulled from his thoughts as he heard Morikawa's distinctive voice.

"C'mon Izaki, let's head to Card Capital!"

Aichi rushed to put the rest of his things away and quickly exited the classroom. Luckily, the two Vanguard players hadn't gone far so Aichi was able to catch up to them easily.

"Mor-Morikawa-kun!"

The two teens stopped and turned to look back at Aichi, with the black-haired sullenly asking, "What do you want?"

"I was, um, hoping I could I have a Vanguard fight with you next…" Aichi trailed off as his shyness kicked back in.

The two friends were surprised for a moment before Morikawa smirked, "Oh, you wanna beat the great Morikawa, huh?"

Aichi shook his head, "I still don't know a whole lot about Vanguard, so I was hoping you could teach me…"

Morikawa seemed to get an odd look on as his face as muttered, "Teach you? Hah!" The look suddenly turned to a scowl as he said, "A small fry like you ain't worth my time." He didn't waste any more time as he walked away, Izaki seemed surprised by the statements as he followed after Morikawa.

"A small fry, huh?" Aichi muttered to himself as he looked down at the floor. Morikawa's next words though easily caught his attention.

"Man, Kai is so lame! Acting like he's the king of the hill before going and losing to a wimp like Aichi. If I were him, I'd never show my face in Card Capital again!"

Aichi sighed sadly at the words spoken and began to slowly make his way out of the school. A small smile came to his face though as he spotted his red-haired friend leaning against the entrance gate with a bored look on his face. Together, the pair of them made their way to Card Capital, enjoying the comfortable silence that surrounded the two.

As they passed through a local park, the sound of children at play caught their ears. They looked over and saw group of kids that all looked about nine or ten all gathered at a bench with two of the kids engaging in a Cardfight with each other. Aichi and Naoki looked at each other and shared a small chuckle as they continued on their way.

As he walked, Aichi came to a realization_ 'That's right. I'm a Royal Paladin now, the strongest knight. And I'll keep growing stronger and stronger!'_

'_And I shall fight at your side, aibou. Our strength shall grow together.__' _Aichi heard in thoughts, glancing to the side at windows of the store he was passing, Aichi could easily make out his mental image of Blaster Blade walking at his side.

'_Hai. Thank you for being at my side, Blaster Blade,'_ Aichi thought to his mental companion.

A short while later, the two friends arrived at Card Capital and entered the store. The same girl from the previous day looked up as they walked in and smiled softly at the pair as she gave them a quiet, "Welcome." The two said their 'Hellos' back to her and made their way to a nearby table.

Naoki leaned back in his chair and, after taking a quick glance around the store, spoke up, "Hmm, seems pretty empty in here."

The store clerk looked up from her book and answered, "The usual crowd always gets here a little late on this day of the week."

"Ah," the redhead muttered as he turned his gaze back to a suddenly despondent Aichi. "What's eating you?"

Aichi was silent, even as the shop girl made her way over and asked, "Are you waiting for someone?"

"Well, yes," Aichi softly replied. "But I'm not sure he's coming. Since I beat him, he might not come back." _'And after I had finally met Kai again,'_ the blue-haired teen thought to himself.

Naoki snorted in amusement, "Oh, please. Aichi, he'll definitely come back. It might not be today, but I really doubt he'd simply leave like that. I saw a connection form between you two during that fight, a fight he really looked like he was having fun with. He'll be back, if anything he'll do it to even the score between you two."

A sudden "Nyaa!" drew the shop girl's attention to the entrance, where she saw a familiar silhouette outlined against the glass door. A small smirk graced her lips as she said, "Sooner than you might think."

The two junior-high students looked up when the door opened, and in walked none other than Kai and Miwa. Aichi was on his feet, words forgotten as joy dominated the emotions he was feeling.

Kai smiled lightly when he noticed who else was in the store, "Hey, Aichi. What're you doing here?"

Miwa then popped in with his own comment, "Hey, guys from yesterday!"

"Um, you see…" Aichi started to say as he held up his deck case.

"Say no more!" Miwa exclaimed as the two high-schoolers walked over. "How about today you fight me?"

"Nope!" Everyone looked over at the entrance to see a familiar black-haired teen standing there. "He'll be playing me today!" The teen then seemed to realize who exactly was in the store as jumped back in fright with a small shout. Something that drew a "What?" from Kai.

Upon seeing their reaction, both Miwa and Naoki burst out laughing. "Oh man, that was too much!" Naoki shouted as Miwa agreed by saying, "Just too rich!"

As Morikawa made his way to angrily confront Kai, the shop girl made her way back to the front counter and looked back at the growing group of friends with a barely noticeable smile on her face. It wasn't long after that more and more Vanguard fighters entered the store; some began to have fights with each other, others watched, and some bought booster packs to build up their decks.

_With hundreds of millions of people around the world playing card games, they've naturally become part of our daily lives. Cardfight! Vanguard is the card game that gets most of our attention now. And one of the those cards let me meet him again._

A Blaster Blade card fell onto the Vanguard circle of a play mat, the card glowing for but a moment as it lay there.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**~~~ Chapter End ~~~~**

**Unknown-nin345: Woohoo! Finally got this typed up and I stayed up till four o'clock in the morning to do it as well! I really hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Bonds of Friends and now I'll try to clear up some stuff for you readers.**

**The mental Blaster Blade****: Just try and think of the Inner Yugi from Yu-gi-oh (Atem the Pharaoh for those who wish to be specific) or the duel spirits in GX like Jaden's Kuriboh or Chazz's Ojama's (But not as annoying). He'll get more lines and screen time as the series progresses, but right now, he's kind of like a little voice in Aichi's head that gives him advice or support in certain situations. He definitely play a major role as we further into the first season so I hope that's got you all wondering just what I have planned for him. And no, (spoiler) this is not Aichi showcasing a part of Psyqualia.  
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**[SPOILER ALERT] Including Naoki****: In the canon storyline, Ishida Naoki doesn't get introduced until season 3, but even he admits right at the beginning of that season that he knew Aichi when they were both in elementary school and that he had seen what Aichi was being put through. After the explanation that followed that, I figured that he could have just as easily decided to stick up for Aichi instead of ignoring all the bullying that Aichi gets put through. So, in this Vanguard-verse, Naoki does stand up against the bullies and thus becomes Aichi's friend, it's still too late though to stop Aichi from transferring to a different school so Naoki still goes to Miyaji while Aichi is at Hitsue. I've already got plans finalized for Naoki's deck for both season 1 and season 2, and I gotta say, I'm really looking forward to when Naoki gets his chance to fight. Also, I really hope I represented him well in the chapter despite the fact he's not supposed to show up until season 3.**

**Pairings****: Nothing is clearly defined yet. I've got potential ideas in the works, but I will say we won't see any big moments until we're well into season 2.**

**Chants/Various Japanese words that might not be common knowledge:**

**Aichi: Tachiagure, boku no bunshin! Raido! Burasutā Burēdo!  
>Stand up, my avatar! I ride! Blaster Blade! <strong>

**Kai: Raido za Vangādo! Kono se no subete o yakitsukusu mokushiroku no honoo! DORAGONIKKU ŌBĀRŌDO!  
>Ride the Vanguard! Burn everything in this world to ashes with your apocalyptic fire! Dragonic Overlord!<strong>

**Aibou = partner**

**Well, thanks for reading everyone! Let me know what you think!**


	2. Ride 2: Bigger than Before

**Bonds of Friends**

**Ride 2: Bigger Than Before**

**Unknown-nin345: Hello everyone and welcome to chapter 2. Just wanted to quickly thank those who reviewed, especially Digidramon, and I hope as we get further with this fic more of you readers will toss in your input as well. **

**This chapter's actually gonna mainly focus on the point of view of some of the other characters since the only real point of importance in the anime, episode 3, happens when Aichi and Morikawa fight each other. **

**Booster Packs released in story so far: Set 1: Descent of the King of Knights. Extra Booster Set 1: Comic Style Vol. 1. Also expect to see cards from the manga that didn't appear in the anime.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cardfight! Vanguard. That belongs to the Bushiroad Company which recently developed a new card game: Future Card Buddyfight! Don't let the name discourage you, it's actually pretty interesting, at least I think so.**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Something weird was going on, Sendou Emi decided resolutely as she watched her brother tuck in to breakfast with a small smile on his face.

It had taken her several days to reach this conclusion but, in her defense, it wasn't like the clues were all that noticeable or happened all at once. It was small, little changes that were only noticed when she happened to be in the right place at the right time. She didn't want to be mean, but it really was strange for her older brother to actually go about the day with a smile.

She was especially surprised to learn from her mother, mere minutes later as the pair of kids were leaving for school, that not only was Aichi leaving for school earlier these past couple of days, he was also coming home later as well. Her confusion grew as she followed a small distance behind him on the way to their respective schools, especially when she didn't really see anything about her older brother that had really changed.

A greeting called out from behind brought the young brunette out of her thoughts. Emi turned and smiled at who she saw, "Mai-chan! Akemi-sempai, ohayoo!"

Tobita Akemi smiled down at her younger sister's best friend, "Ohayoo Emi-chan, are you doing well this morning?" Anyone who was able to see the two sisters next to each other would swear that they were looking at the same girl at different ages of her life were it not for their different hair color. Mai's was a dark, sage green while Akemi sported a lighter, mint green color to her long hair.

The three girls continued walking together after Emi had answered positively since Akemi went to Miyaji Academy's Junior High School while the younger girls both attended the elementary branch. The two grade-schoolers chatted with each other about the homework that they had been assigned while the junior high student smiled as she listened to the two younger girls.

After crossing a not so busy road, Emi stopped in surprise when noticed her brother continuing onto his school with no hesitation in his steps. The brown-haired girl knew that normally he'd be slouched over and dragging his feet as much as possible. A small whisper escaped her lips as she stared after Aichi, "He…"

"Emi-chan!" Mai called out as she walked back to her friend. "Is everything okay?" the sage-haired girl asked while her older sister followed Emi's gaze and found her eyes landing on the blue-haired form of the young girl's brother. _'He seems different from usual,'_ Akemi softly thought to herself, having met Aichi several times when Mai and Emi had sleepovers at the brunette's house.

Emi shook her head and smiled at Mai, "It's nothing. C'mon, we don't want to be late." With that, the three girls continued on their way to school, not noticing the two other students in similar uniform to Aichi run by.

xxx {Later that day} xxx

The final bell rang out at the girl's section of Miyaji Academy's elementary school, Emi waving goodbye to several of her friends as she started on her journey back home. As she walked by herself, the brunette reflected on how the day seemed to pass by so slowly since she had spent a good part of her time worrying about how her older brother seemed to be acting so differently from usual.

In what seemed like no time at all, she arrived at the street crossing where her and Aichi's paths to school went along different routes. As she waited for the light to indicate she could cross, Emi looked down the street that led to her brother's school and thought back on how her mother had told her this morning that Aichi had been coming home later than usual the past couple of days.

After a moment of consideration, Emi reached a decision as she started down the path that led to Hitsue Junior High, "Mou~...What am I going to do with him? If Aichi gets home after dinner, Mom will be so worried."

A short while later, she had arrived at the school and noticed something about it that differed greatly from hers, "Huh? There's no security guard at the gate here." Ignoring the mutters from passing by students about how she was a Miyaji Academy student due to her different uniform, Emi peeked into the schoolyard and immediately spotted her older brother's distinctive blue hair. She quickly hid behind the wall in hopes that she was spotted but peeked back out when she heard her brother's name get called.

The brown-haired girl watched in shock as a boy with wild black hair ran up to her brother and wrapped him in a loose headlock, fortunately they were close enough that she could hear what they were saying. "Hey Aichi, don't just head home without saying anything! C'mon, why don't we head to _that place_ today?" the black-haired teen asked as a teen with curly brown-haired walked up beside them.

"Huh?" Aichi was confused for a moment before he nodded, "Oh, sure."

Emi saw this interaction and took it the wrong way as she gasped in fear, "Aichi's mixed up with some bad people?" Her imagination ran rampant as the teen with black-hair suddenly gained pointed teeth while tear-tracks ran down Aichi's face.

Coming back to reality, Emi heard the black-haired teen speak up again, "Today I'm gonna show you just how strong I really am, so you'd better be prepared Aichi."

She couldn't hear Aichi's muttered reply but gasped when the black-haired teen seemingly tightened the head lock he had Aichi in as he shouted, "What, are you sayin' I don't satisfy ya?!" Again she couldn't catch whatever it was her brother answered with but then the brown-haired teen spoke up, "Yosh, it's decided then."

The teen still holding Aichi in a headlock raised an arm to the sky as he shouted, "Alrighty then, off we go!"

Emi moved back a ways as the trio approached the gate as she heard the conversation continue, "Let me have a go too." The black-haired teen answered back, "Sure! Right after I let him have it good…"

She finally could make out Aichi as he said, "I don't like that sound of this."

Emi let them walk a little ways away before she started following, "I hope Aichi's not in too much trouble." As she trailed behind the trio, her imagination continued to get away from her as she kept picturing the two teens (in her mind) forcefully leading her brother along the street gain pointed teeth as they both let loose evil chuckles. Eventually, the brown-haired girl ducked behind a tree as she watched the three of them enter a store.

She quickly jogged over and read the name posted above the door, "Card Capital? What's this place?" A gasp escaped her as she came to a misguided realization, "Could this be where…?" Again her imagination spiraled out of control as she pictured a darkened room with a bunch of teens in the same uniform as Aichi, all getting ready to inflict harm on her older brother.

A shiver ran up Emi's spine at the dark thoughts before she tightened her grip on her schoolbag straps while a determined expression settled on her face. "I can't leave him alone in there," Emi declared before she stepped forward to enter the shop.

The sight she was expecting due to her overactive imagination was immediately dashed from her mind by the scene she was greeted with.

It was much brighter than the image she had dredged up for one thing and there was a wide variety of people gathered at the various tables set up in the store, all enhanced by the lighthearted atmosphere that permeated the shop. She could also spot an astounding number of posters on display that all advertised all manner of games she had never heard of before with glass cases set up that showcased many cards that she couldn't recognize.

"What is this place?" Emi eventually asked aloud, still staring at the sight that so disagreed with the picture she had conjured in her mind.

"Welcome to Card Capital, little miss." Emi jumped at the greeting and looked over to her left at the man standing there.

He was dressed in a simple collared shirt with equally plain pants while a light-blue apron decorated with a pair of interlocking 'C's was worn over that. A warm smile was on his face as his dark green eyes gazed down at her from behind a pair of rectangular glasses and bangs of his shaggy, forest-green hair.

"I am the manager of Card Capital, Nitta Shin. How may I help you today?" Shin asked as he leaned closer to Emi.

"Um…well," Emi trailed off as she glanced around the store, not even sure what was going on.

A look of understanding appeared on Shin's face as he nodded, "I see. Is this the first time you've been in a card shop?"

Emi let loose a sigh of relief before she smiled and nodded, "Hai!"

Shin straightened up with his own smile, "Well then, this is a shop for trading card games or TCG for short."

"Trading card game?" the young girl asked, not recognizing that particular type of game.

"Mmhmm," Shin nodded. "They're games where you collect different cards and then fight against other players one-on-one. It's actually quite a popular game type amongst all ages nowadays."

"So that's what it was…" Emi muttered at her gaze went back to the display cases filled with cards.

Shin looked back down at the young girl and took notice of her uniform, recognizing what particular school it belonged to, _'Ah, she's from Miyaji Academy. That probably explains why she's never heard of these games before. Don't get many customers from that neck of the woods.' _He smiled supportively down at Emi and asked, "How about I show you around the store real quick so that you can get familiar with everything?"

Emi smiled up at the shop manager with a small nod, "Thank you."

"It's no trouble," Shin easily replied before leading her aside. "Well, to start with, over here is the counter. If you want to make a purchase, then just come right on over here and either I or one of my assistants will get you sorted out."

"Assistants?" Emi asked before she noticed the girl sitting behind the counter whose attention was devoted to the book in her hands and the cute little cat perched atop a small pillow. The young girl took a moment to admire just how cute the feline was.

Shin smiled as he gestured at the cat snoozing on counter, "This is the Substitute Manager and the sour-faced girl there is Tokura Misaki."

Misaki didn't even look up from her novel as she replied, "Well excuse me for my face."

The green-haired manager playfully flinched back, "Ooh, so scary." Regaining a normal posture, Shin addressed the confused brunette, "She's my niece and helps out occasionally with the shop." Emi nodded as Shin reached for and held up a deck of cards set atop a separate part of the counter, "Speaking of which, this is what's really popular in stores these days: Vanguard!"

Emi looked around the store in a small amount of awe, before letting out a gasp of shock as her eyes drifted over the tables set up at the back of the shop.

Shin noticed her reaction and knelt down to the young girl's level as he explained, "Ah, that's the match area. It's the part of the shop where the card fighters have their fights or just hang out as they look at the cards they've gathered."

Emi's gaze though was locked on one specific person as she let out a near-silent mutter, "Aichi…"

Shin did not hear her muttered words, but noticed Aichi and smiled when he saw what was going on. "Oho, it looks like a Vanguard fight is just about to begin. You see, the best part about Vanguard is…" the manager trailed off when he took note of the sheer surprise he saw reflected in Emi's eyes and turned his attention back to the just starting fight, thankfully the shop had quieted down some so they could hear the two fighters.

"Are you ready Morikawa-kun?" Aichi asked the black-haired teen once he had finished his preparations.

Morikawa smirked in reply, "I just hope you're ready Aichi. 'Cuz today's the day I show ya who's the boss around here!"

The blue-haired teen confidently smiled back, "I'll meet your attack head on Morikawa-kun."

Emi's eyes widened in surprise at this strange side of her older brother that was so foreign to her. She was jolted out of her thoughts though, when the door opened and a familiar voice drawled out, "Yo."

The brown-haired girl turned around and blinked in surprise when her eyes confirmed what she was seeing as she called out, "Naoki-san!"

The amber-eyed teen did a quick double-take when he saw Emi. "Chibi-chan? What are you doing here?" Naoki asked.

Shin quickly looked between the two and asked, "You know her Naoki-kun?"

"Yeah, she's Aichi's little sister," Naoki answered the manager before turning his gaze back to the younger girl. "So what brings you to Card Capital Chibi-chan?"

Emi fidgeted slightly with a small blush decorating her cheeks, "Well…I was worried about Aichi."

"Huh? What for?" the red-haired teen asked as he moved away from the doorway before he slapped his forehead. "Don't tell me Aichi didn't even tell you or your mom what he was doing?" Emi just shook her head.

"Yosh! The super-strong Bahr attacks!"

The group looked over at the shout in time to see Aichi respond, "I guard with Elaine." Morikawa performed his drive check with a grimace since he couldn't break through even if he got a trigger, which he didn't get.

The black-haired teen quickly recovered his swagger though as he smirked, "Not bad Aichi. But even if you take care of that grade one card, it'll never beat my super-strong deck." Morikawa chuckled lightly, "Next time it's my turn, things are gonna get real!" Aichi just chuckled weakly.

Back with the observers, Shins keen eyes (thanks to his glasses) easily picked out the cards currently in Morikawa's hand. "Ah-cha, that guy in front has some balance issues," he commented once he saw that there was nothing but grade threes in the teen's hand.

Naoki just scoffed, having seen Morikawa's 'deck' in action, "If there's anybody in the world who relies solely on luck to play, it's that guy."

Emi looked back and forth between the two, "Um… Is there something wrong?"

"Oh? Are you interested in making a Vanguard deck? Do you know what you'd like to do?" Shin asked with a small smile.

"Um, well this is my first time hearing about this game," Emi admitted. "So I really don't know."

"Ah, don't sweat it Chibi-chan," Naoki stated, drawing the girl's attention to him. "I found out about the game a little after me and Aichi became friends and I still haven't decided on what kinda deck I'd like."

Shin nodded, "Indeed. There's no need to rush and you'll remember the rules in no time." The green-haired gained an excited expression as an idea came to him, "In fact, how about after your brother finishes his fight, I give you some private lessons?!"

"No getting carried away," the quick comment from Misaki took the wind out of his sails and caused Naoki to let loose some snickers.

Shin sheepishly chuckled before he said, "If you want to learn, just ask."

"Right," Emi replied before the three observers turned their attention back to Aichi's fight in time to see him hold out a very specific card, one that brought a grin to Naoki's face.

"Stand up, my avatar!" Aichi called out as he held his card high before he slapped it down on his Vanguard circle. "Ride! Blaster Blade!" Morikawa flinched back in surprise at the legendary unit.

Emi was also surprised, but at the expression her older brother was sporting, _'Wow, I've never seen him like this before.'_ And it was true, since as far back as she could remember; Aichi had always had this downtrodden and defeated aura about him. Things had gotten slightly better after Aichi had made friends with Naoki and then switched schools, but not by much. She was always worried that Aichi might never find something that would light a fire in him to make him stand up to all the hardships he seemed to go through as a kid.

In his seat, Naoki smirked at the expression Emi was sporting before he turned his attention back to Aichi who had just called out several rear-guards and was beginning his attack.

'_Y'know, anybody who hadn't really gotten to know you before and after you got that card would be surprised Aichi,'_ Naoki thought to himself. _'In fact, wasn't it shortly after you got that card that we became friends?'_ Naoki could easily remember that day, the day he had gotten a glimpse of the person Aichi could one day become.

_**xxxx {Flashback Commence} xxxx**_

_Another day had ended at Miyaji Academy's elementary school for boys, another boring day where nothing exciting happened. A young Naoki, with hair as bright red and shaggy as it would be in his teens, sighed as he walked down the street. Everything at school was sooo boring; he was surprised that he hadn't fallen asleep in the middle of classes. _

_Suddenly, the young boy was drawn out of his thoughts by raised voices up ahead. His interest peaked; he quickly jogged over to where the ruckus was coming from before he scowled at what he saw. A trio of boys the same age as him were all grouped up around a lone boy with dark-blue hair who, while bearing a slight look of fear, was standing firm against the bullies._

"_C'mon Shy-chi, just give us your money and we'll leave you alone," one of the kids, obviously the leader, said with an annoyed frown._

"_I-I don't have any," a young Aichi softly replied, trying his best to keep his voice steady. "I al-already told you that."_

"_Please," one of the other kids scoffed. "Quit lying and just cough it up or else we'll just take it from ya."_

_Aichi visibly swallowed before he said, "B-but I'm not lying. I really don't have any money." A fist suddenly found its way to his stomach and sent him to his knees as the other kids joined in on pushing Aichi away from his backpack, which the bullies started going through._

_Off to the side, Naoki felt a huge surge of anger rise up in him and felt something snap within him. With a simple shout of "Oi," Naoki rushed into the fray. A small scuffled erupted before the three bullies decided to cut their losses and hightailed it out of there._

_A slightly scuffed up Naoki huffed in satisfaction before he helped Aichi back to his feet and gather up his belongings that had been scattered by the bullies. Naoki blinked in surprise when a small card fell out of a small book he had just picked up, scooping up the card he took in the artwork that depicted an armor-clad warrior and read the name aloud, "Blaster… Blade?"_

_Aichi's head immediately snapped up when he heard those words, "U-um, please, can I have that card back?"_

"_Huh? Oh, sure," Naoki replied as he handed the other boy the card, blinking in surprise at the small smile that lit up Aichi's face as he held the card. The two boys then made their way to a nearby bench to rest up from the fight. As they sat there, Naoki glanced at Aichi out of the corner of his eye and noticed that he still was holding onto the card tightly. "So what's the big deal with that thing?"_

_Aichi looked up in surprise, not expecting Naoki to still be there, "Oh, um, it was given to me by someone. He told me that if I could picture it, I could be big and strong like the warrior on the card. But…" Here Aichi trailed off as a frown appeared on his face. "But it's very hard. I was scared the entire time those bullies were there and I couldn't do anything to stop them. But then…" Aichi looked up at the red-haired boy sitting next to him. "You came. Why did you stop them? No one else has done that."_

_Naoki was silent for a moment as he looked away from Aichi. "To be honest, I've seen all those bullies picking on you for a while now," the boy admitted. "But, I've always thought they were all idiots. Why pick on someone who can't fight back? It makes no sense to me."_

"_But why now?" Aichi asked softly. _

"_Dunno." Naoki shrugged, "I just saw you there, standing up to them even though you looked like you were gonna run away at any second. And then, when they started hitting ya, you still didn't run or cry and… I guess I just decided to do something." He then smiled at the blue-haired boy, "Plus I thought it might be cool to be friends with somebody that would stand up to three guys all by himself."_

_Aichi couldn't disguise his surprise, "Re-really?"_

_Naoki nodded with a wide grin as he held out a hand, "Yup! The name's Ishida Naoki!"_

"_Sendou Aichi," the blue-haired boy said as he held out his own hand to seal the greeting with a hand shake._

"_Nice ta meet ya! Now, why don't you tell me more about this card?" Naoki asked and he leaned in slightly._

_**xxxx {Flashback End} xxxx**_

Naoki was pulled roughly out of his memory by Morikawa's shouting.

"Why am I so unlucky?! Why, oh why, does the god of fate play with me like this?! Is he jealous of me?!" the black-haired teen ranted.

With the observers, Shin commented aloud, "It's an issue about luck." Emi looked up at him in confusion, prompting the manager to explain, "In Vanguard, it's necessary to power up your main unit by going through the grades in order from grade zero to grade three. So if you are lacking cards at grades one and two, then it won't matter how many grade threes you have if you can't even reach that grade."

Naoki grunted, "Well that sounds like him alright."

They watched as Morikawa call the card he just drew to the rearguard and proceed to launch an attack. Aichi once again guarded, with the attack being ineffective as Morikawa failed to get a trigger during his drive check.

At this point, Morikawa once again entered a rant, "How dare you! Why? Why do I always have such terrible luck?!"

Misaki, who had taken a moment to look up from her book, sighed as she went back to what she was doing with a muttered, "Noob."

Shin also sighed as he leaned against the counter, "Well, I can understand the impulses of people like him to just make deck with only the strongest cards."

Emi was silent as she watched Aichi take his turn and once again launch a series of successful attacks. _'It's strange…'_ she thought to herself._ 'Now that I see them playing this game here in this shop, they look like completely different people.'_ Her attention focused on Morikawa as she recalled the events that led her here, _'When I first saw him, all I could see was this powerful and scary bad person. But now he looks so small.'_ The brown-haired girl's gaze shifted to her older brother as she finished her thoughts, _'And… Aichi, who's always trembled in fear, who used to be unwilling to go to school unless I made him.'_ A small smile appeared on Emi's face as she muttered, "He looks so much bigger than he used to."

Naoki heard her and a small smirk appeared on his face, _'He really is different. And the thing that changed him was that card, given to him all those years ago.'_

Over at the fight, Aichi rested his center lane as he declared, "I support Blaster Blade with Wingal to attack Bahr! This is the Final Blade!"

Morikawa growled as he slapped a card down onto the guardian circle, "I won't let that through Aichi! I call the super-strong Tahr to guard Bahr for a total of twenty-three thousand shield thanks to the draw trigger I checked in your last attack!"

Aichi frowned before he replied, "Check for a drive trigger." He picked up the top card of his deck and looked at it, his eyes widening before it was turned so that his opponent could see.

Izaki gasped as he shouted, "Epona?! That's a critical trigger!"

Aichi nodded with a small smiled on his face, "Plus five-thousand power and extra critical go to my vanguard for a total of twenty-four thousand power. The attack goes through Morikawa-kun." The black-haired teen dramatically cried out as the final two cards were added to his damage zone to bring him up to six damage total.

"I can't believe it. I…lost," Morikawa admitted as his face fell to the table.

Izaki chuckled at his overly-dramatic friend before stating something of importance, "Yeah, no kidding. I mean, Aichi didn't even take a single point of damage."

Morikawa immediately bolted up and confirmed it for himself, "You're right! What's the meaning of this?!"

Back at the counter, Misaki lightly smiled as she returned her attention to her book even as Morikawa continued to rant.

Emi, seeing that the match was over, called out, "Aichi!"

The blue-haired boy looked up to see who had called his name, only to jump in surprise at who he saw, "Emi?!" The brown-haired girl made her way over with a snickering Naoki right behind her. "And Naoki-kun? How long have you both been here?" Aichi asked.

Emi ignored his question as she asked her own, "So the reason you've been coming home late is because you've been going here?" Aichi nodded in response as Morikawa and Izaki looked at between the two, then each other in confusion. Emi then scooped up a pair of cards on Aichi's side of the field and looked at them, "So this is Vanguard? And this…" She looked at the second card she had picked up, staring at the proud warrior in gleaming armor.

"_Stand up, my avatar! Ride! Blaster Blade!"_

The brunette continued to look at the cards as she muttered, "This is what you've been doing."

Aichi stood up from his chair to better face his younger sister, "Emi…"

"Aichi, you've changed a little," Emi stated as she looked up from the cards, surprising her older brother with her words. "Is this game really that fun?"

It took only a moment for a confident expression to appear on Aichi's face as he nodded, "It really is."

Emi was awestruck by what she saw, _'Which is the real one? The Aichi I know, or the one standing before me right now?'_ She watched her brother explain to the two teens still sitting that she was his younger sister before she came to a decision.

"Would you play again for me?"

The four teens looked at her in surprise before Naoki laughed, "Looks like even Chibi-chan is getting hooked on Vanguard, eh Aichi?"

Emi ignored Naoki's words as she continued speaking, "It's fun right? Do it again!"

Aichi was caught off guard by his sister's newfound interest and turned to his friends, "Well…"

They were all silent for a moment before Morikawa eagerly spoke up, "Alrighty then! This time I'm gonna show you what I'm really made of!"

Aichi lightly chuckled before turning back to his sister, who spoke up with a short, "Do it!" The blue-haired teen smiled at his younger sister and nodded. He started gathering up his cards to re-shuffle them as Morikawa excitedly did the same. Emi watched her brother go through all the motions with a small smile on her at seeing her brother so full of energy and drive.

Eventually the two ready once again and turned over their starting vanguards.

"Stand up, Vanguard!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**{CHAPTER END}**

**Unknown-nin345: Okay then, there's chapter two down. You would not believe how hard it was to try and write the parts that dealt specifically with Emi's point of view. After all, I'm a full-grown adult male trying to jump into the perspective of a pre-teen girl, not exactly the easiest thing to do. **

**I didn't want to make Emi seem too out of character, nor did I really want to get all that into Aichi's and Morikawa's fight since all that really does is show why it's important to have a balanced deck instead of just sticking a whole lot one specific type of unit into a deck. So I tried to do this more from Emi's and Naoki's point of view as they go over how Aichi has changed since his fight with Kai. Granted, it's not a whole lot, but it is enough for the pair of them to notice since, of the small group so far, they've known Aichi the longest.**

**A little funny side note: As I was re-watching Episode 3 of the anime while typing this up, I noticed an error occur during Aichi's and Morikawa's fight. At the point where Morikawa guards against Aichi's Blaster Blade with his Tahr, the anime has the defensive shield at only 18000 (Bahr's 8000 + Tahr's 10000) but Morikawa had just Damage Checked a draw trigger, so Bahr should have been at 13000 attack power and then it should have been a 23000 shield with Tahr which means Aichi would have needed a trigger for the attack to connect. Of course, he gets the trigger anyway in the anime, but still, it's little things like that which give me small sources of amusement. **

**Anywho, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'll see y'all next time in Ride 3: Bonding with a Fight.**


	3. Ride 3: Bonding with a Fight

**Bonds of Friends**

**Ride 3: Bonding with a Fight**

**Unknown-nin345: Welcome all ye readers to the third chapter of this fic of mine. I apologize for taking so long to write this chapter up, it just didn't want to be written for some reason. Anyway, I won't keep you any long so enjoy.**

**Sets released so far: Booster set 1. Extra Booster Set 1. Booster set 2 (Delivered to stores but not on shelves yet). Promos/Manga only cards.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight!Vanguard. It is owned by the Bushiroad company along with all of their anime/manga characters.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The TCG, or Trading Card Game, shop known as Card Capital was as busy as ever and filled to the brim with players of all ages. There was no discrimination of age or gender here, and older fighters with more experience instructed those who had just started on their own adventure in gathering cards. It was a sight that was able to easily maintain the small smile sported by one Nitta Shin, the slightly-eccentric manager of the small card shop.

The opening of the main door garnered his attention and he turned in that direction with a warm cry of, "Welcome!" before taking note of who exactly entered. "Oh-ho, Aichi-kun and Naoki-kun, good to see you again!" Shin greeted the two teens.

Aichi smiled back with a short bow, "Konnichiwa, Nitta-tenchou." Naoki just raised a hand in greeting before going to browse through booster packs.

Both boys had decided to change out of their school uniforms in exchange for more casual clothes today. Aichi was garbed in a light-blue short jacket that had a thick black stripe on the shoulders with his usual red turtleneck-shirt under that. A pair of jeans and sneakers completed his ensemble. Meanwhile, a dark-orange jacket with a white t-shirt underneath along with black track pants and sneakers made up Naoki's outfit.

While his friend had gone to look at the booster packs, Aichi's gaze was sweeping through the many fight tables set up in the shop. A familiar head of brown hair caught his eye and Aichi began to move forward as excitement built up in him. The blue-haired teen was about to call out when he managed to catch sight of the face the hair belonged to and realized it wasn't who he thought it was.

With a small sigh and a downtrodden expression, Aichi made his way back to the counter where the substitute manager greeted him with a small 'nya'. Giving the cat a quick scratch behind the ear, Aichi decided to pull out his deck to check over his line-up. He had just started laying out his cards with a small grin on his face when the voice of Shin caught his attention, "You look like you're having fun."

Aichi smiled brightly up at the shop manager as he answered, "Hai. I am."

Shin smiled back and decided to poke a little fun at the young teen, "But before, you seemed oddly dejected. It almost felt like you'd been stood up by your girlfriend!" The cat cuddled up in Shin's arms looked up with was surely a curious, "Mrow?"

Predictably, Aichi had a mini freak-out and, in his surprise, sent his cards flying. While he was denying that accusation, Naoki had (also predictably) collapsed to the floor in gut-busting laughter. When he had finally regained both his breath and footing, the red-haired teen said to Shin, "Aichi have a girlfriend? He'd have to either find someone just as shy as he was or some girl that would end up wanting someone she could boss around!" He took another glance at where Aichi was still picking up his cards and descended once more into laughter.

By this point, Aichi had finished gathering up his cards and tried to defend himself in a more calm tone of voice, "It's not like that at all. Kai-kun wasn't here and I was hoping to have another fight with him."

Shin nodded thoughtfully at that statement, "Hmm, now that you mention it, he hasn't been around for a couple days now, has he? Ah well, you can never predict what Kai's going to do. But is there any particular reason why you wanted to fight him so badly?"

Aichi was silent for a moment as he stared down at his deck, specifically at the Blaster Blade card that rested atop it, before he started speaking, "Back when we fought for the first time, it felt like Kai was holding back throughout most of the fight, like he was only really getting serious at the end of it." Naoki nodded his agreement at that statement, having felt something similar. "Because I'd never fought before…." Here Aichi perked up as he met Shin's eyes with a smile on his face, "But since then, I've had many fights, learned more about how to play the game, and it's gotten even more fun! Plus, I think that I might have gotten a little bit better."

"Of course you have!" Naoki stated as he wrapped an arm around Aichi's shoulders. "Don't go thinking that you haven't now."

"Arigato, Naoki-kun," Aichi replied before looking back at Card Capital's manager. "Anyway, I want to face off against Kai-kun once again with the skills I've gained."

Shin chuckled lightly at Aichi's expression as he adjusted his glasses, "Well now, your eyes are really sparkling Aichi-kun." The two teens turned confused expressions toward Shin as he continued speaking, "Everyone is like this in the beginning. The game is always fun and captivating with loss being the farthest thing from one's mind." The green-haired adult suddenly stood, causing the cat in his lap to cry out when its rest was disturbed. "Actually Aichi-kun, do you mind if I take a quick look at your deck?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," Aichi replied as he handed the stack of cards over while the Substitute Manager leaped up onto the counter with all the grace of his species.

Shin shuffled through the deck of cards, taking note of some cards that he hadn't seen Aichi play yet. Said blue-haired teen frowned slightly when he caught a low hum from the shop manager and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Shin just folded the deck back up and handed it back as he said, "Aichi-kun, I'd like to ask a favor of you." The blue-haired teen gained a startled expression but nodded. "Tomorrow, after school, come to the shop. There'll be something nice waiting for you here."

"Something nice?"

"Hai," Shin stated with a quick nod. "Make sure to come, okay?"

Aichi exchanged a quick look with Naoki, who simply shrugged, before he turned back to Shin and nodded.

xxxxxxxx

"Something nice! Something nice!" sang out one Morikawa Katsumi as the group of four teens fresh out of school walked down the street.

Naoki sighed and leaned closer to his friend to quietly ask, "Did you really have to bring him along?"

Aichi chuckled nervously, "Well, I thought that maybe Morikawa-kun or Izaki-kun knew what Nitta-tenchou was talking about so I asked them. They didn't, but decided to come along anyway."

"Once Morikawa gets an idea in his head, it'll take supernatural forces to make him change his mind," Izaki spoke up with his own sigh, having been friends with the eccentric teen for years. Naoki just grunted in reply as the small group finally arrived at Card Capital.

"We're here!" Morikawa loudly announced as he stepped through the automatic doors. Shin looked up from the table he had been cleaning off while Misaki simply turned a page in her book. "So Nitta-tenchou, what's this nice thing you got? Why don't you share a bit of it with me, eh?!" the black-haired teen loudly asked as he walked forward, only to fall back on his butt with a shout of surprise as the Substitute Manager leaped through the air right in front of him.

"Please keep quiet while inside the shop," Misaki reminded in her usual tone of voice without looking up.

Shin moved over to the counter as he said, "I'm glad to see you came, Aichi-kun."

"Well, it would have been rude not to," Aichi shyly replied as the rest of the teens entered the shop, none of them moving to help the still downed Morikawa.

They needn't have bothered as said teen suddenly leapt to his feet. "Tenchou! What's this 'nice thing' you got for Aichi, huh?"

Shin just chuckled mysteriously as he turned to the only table in the store that currently had a Vanguard playmat set on it. "Well to find that out, I'd like you to have a Vanguard fight first, Aichi-kun."

This surprised the four students as Aichi asked, "A Cardfight?"

"Hai," Shin stated as he faced the teens. "After that fight is over, I'm sure you'll begin to notice something very nice."

Morikawa's excitement shown through as he pulled out his own deck box and declared, "Then fight me too!" This comment, of course, drew sweat-drops from his fellow junior-high students.

"I think you're good already Morikawa-kun," Shin replied with a small chuckle before turning his attention to the blue-haired teen of the group. "It's Aichi who really needs to see this…" Morikawa's muttered comment went unnoticed as Shin began to sheepishly rub the back of his head, "Now here's the, eh, embarrassing part. I _was_ planning on playing you myself, but it turns out that a meeting of all the local shop owners was just called not too long ago. In my place though, I'd like you to fight Misaki."

It took that last sentence a moment to sink in, but when it did Aichi didn't disappoint as he let out a surprised, "Ehhh?!"

He wasn't the only one as a slightly upset Misaki stood from her chair, "That's my line! Me? Fight him?" This drew a nervous, hesitant chuckle from Aichi who couldn't really decide on how he felt hearing that.

"Yes," was the singular reply from a smirking Shin.

Of course, this did nothing to calm Misaki down, "Shin, you can't just tell me to-"

She was cut off by her uncle, "Ahem. I'd appreciate it if you called me 'Tenchou'."

"Whatever." The lavender-haired girl easily brushed aside his comment as she continued, "You know though that I've never had a Vanguard fight before!"

This statement drew a large amount of surprise from the junior-high students, especially the two that had been coming here regularly for a long time. "But you're always here manning the shop!" Izaki exclaimed as his amazement boiled over.

Misaki turned her attention to the younger teens, "I just help out here with Shin's shop, that's all. I have no interest in cardfights like he does."

Shin's muttered, "Tenchou?" went unheard.

Aichi decided to get back to the reason he was here in the first place, "Well, ah, what will I be able to see in this fight Nitta-tenchou? Were you just teasing me yesterday?"

Shin regained his enigmatic smile as he replied, "No Aichi-kun, I'm not teasing you. However, you'll only know if you try." A small chirp from his watch drew his attention. "Ah-cha! I'm going to be late for the shop meeting." He quickly pulled out a dark-blue deck box and placed it on the counter before his frowning niece, "Please use this deck Misaki."

"But…Shin," Misaki softly whispered as something indiscernible flashed in her eyes when they fell on the deck of cards.

Shin smiled warmly down at his niece, "I'm sure you'll be fine, Misaki."

The long-haired girl stared back into her uncle's eyes for a moment before she closed her eyes and sighed in resignation. Looking back up at Shin, Misaki asked, "And what are we going to do about the counter while I'm having this fight?"

"That's right," Shin muttered to himself before he came to a decision with a nod. "In that case…" he quickly crossed to another part of the store and held up his answer. "We'll use the Substitute Manager!" The cat tilted his head as he was held aloft.

"Seriously?" was all Misaki could offer in return as she flatly stared at her uncle.

A short while later, Shin had left the store in his pet cat's capable…paws so that he could attend his meeting. Meanwhile, Aichi and Misaki were seated at a table looking over their decks, Misaki trading her red store apron out for the black jacket that was part of her school uniform. The three teens watching looked up in surprise when the door opened as a familiar voice called out, "Howdy!"

Miwa blinked in surprise, both at the Substitute Manager's "Nya!" of greeting and the fight about to take place as he walked into the shop. Once quick explanation later had him up-to-speed on what was going on, "The manager really said that huh? And here I was coming to tell you all that Kai was going to be stopping by after his session with the school nurse."

"Hm, well that's why we got the two of them like this," Izaki stated in reply with a small gesture at the soon-to-be fight.

Miwa nodded before noticing something odd. "Then what's that guy doing?" he asked, pointing over to a muttering Morikawa.

Morikawa didn't open his eyes or move from the odd stance he had taken as he asked back, "Can't you tell?" A sarcastic 'Yes' from Miwa had him open his eyes. "I'm sure you can only see the nice thing the manager mentioned if you win. Sooo…I'm praying." With that, he closed his eyes again and went back to his muttering, "Aichi, lose. How dare you hog all the nice stuff to yourself?"

"Ouch," Miwa muttered with a small frown before raising an eyebrow when he noticed that Naoki seemed to be puzzling over something as he stared at Misaki.

Meanwhile, at the fight table, Misaki had finished looking through the deck given to her by her uncle. Each card was immediately recognized and sorted thanks to her eidetic memory. _'Hm, so it's an Oracle Think Tank deck. I'm surprised Shin made something like this, was he actually planning for me to fight all along?'_ Misaki thought to herself before looking away from her cards with a small frown. _'He's totally buying me another two or three outfits for making me do this.'_

Aichi was occupied with his own thoughts he looked over his own cards. _'Misaki-san has never had a fight before. I wonder if I should play a bit easy for a while,'_ the blue-haired teen thought before his eyes fell on his Blaster Blade card.

'_Do not underestimate her simply because it is her first fight. After all, I'm sure you remember what happened the first time you fought,'_ the iconic warrior of the Royal Paladin clan advised. Indeed Aichi could, and with a short nod, decided he that would give his all for this fight. The blue-haired teen was pulled out of his thoughts when Naoki suddenly appeared at his shoulder.

"Oi, Aichi," the red-haired teen whispered. "Be careful here. It took me a while, but I finally figured out where I heard about this girl from. Even in the middle school, there's talk about the 'Onna Banchou' of Miyaji Academy who's known for her tough words and actions. That's her!"

Misaki decided to speak up, breaking up the whispering friends, "Are you ready to fight?"

Aichi straightened up while Naoki backed off. "Ha-hai," the blue-haired teen stuttered. With that, the two fighters began to shuffle their decks.

Misaki let out a surprised gasp as she lost her grip on several of cards, which fell to the table face-down. "I'm sorry, give me a moment to shuffle again," the lavender-haired girl said as she quickly picked them back up.

"Ah, sure," Aichi softly replied as he watched her. _'She's not used to handling cards…'_ he thought to himself, blushing slightly when he realized he'd been staring at her hands more than her deck and turned his attention back to his own cards.

The rest of their preparations proceeded smoothly with Aichi re-drawing two cards while Misaki shuffled three cards of her first hand back into her deck. The starting Vanguards were slid into place on each player's respective fields as blue eyes met teal.

The two teens rested a hand on the face-down card as Aichi spoke up, "Imagine it. The two of us have appeared on the Planet Cary in spirit form." Misaki nodded as the pair closed their eyes. Together the two fighters called out as cards were flipped over, "Vanguard, stand up!"

_A rocky expanse came into view as the suns of the Planet Cray shone brightly overhead. Misaki and Aichi faded into view, the female fighter taking in a quick look at their surroundings in interest. The Vanguard symbol appeared under both fighters as they proceeded to call out the names of their starting units._

"_Lozenge Magus!" Misaki's form was shrouded in a green light before it faded to reveal a female mage garbed in a rather revealing set of wine-red clothes that exposed a great deal of the tanned skin of her torso and legs. The Magus expertly twirled her mystic staff as she took on Misaki's facial features while her hair remained the same __**[Lozenge Magus. Power: 3000]**__._

_Aichi took a moment to fight off a bright red blush at this image before he called out, "Stardust Trumpeter!" A blue aura engulfed Aichi that faded to reveal the trumpet-wielding angel. __**[Stardust Trumpeter. Power: 6000]**__._

"I'll go first," Aichi stated. "I draw for my turn." A card was added to his hand before he chose two others and laid them down. "I'll Ride Knight Squire, Allen and call the Little Sage, Marron!"

_The Trumpeter vanished in a flash of blue before re-forming into the stout Squire who brandished his blade __**[Knight Squire, Allen. Power: 7000]**__, behind him rose Marron. The Little Sage opened his spell book in preparation for battle __**[Little Sage, Marron. Power: 8000]**__._

"That's it for me," Aichi stated as he looked up. "It's your turn Misaki-san."

**Aichi  
>Hand: 4 cards<br>Front Row: Empty – Knight Squire, Allen – Empty  
>Back Row: Empty – Little Sage, Marron – Empty<br>Damage: 0**

**Misaki  
>Hand: 5 cards<br>Front Row: Empty – Lozenge Magus – Empty  
>Back Row: Empty – Empty – Empty<br>Damage: 0**

"I draw," Misaki announced, adding the card to her hand. She took a short moment to look over her hand before picking out a single card. "Ride, Circle Magus."

_A new female mage appeared on the battlefield, her sky-blue armor meant to resemble circles that revealed just as much as her counterpart and took her place before her ally __**[Circle Magus. Power: 7000]**__._

"Eto, two skills activate," Misaki informed her opponent. She slid her starter Vanguard out from underneath her comrade. "First, Lozenge Magus moves to the rearguard circle since another Oracle Think Tank unit rode onto her. Then comes Circle Magus's skill, when it is placed on the vanguard or rearguard circle I can look at the top card of my deck and then put it back on top." She performed the required action, a small smile appearing on her face as she said, "Well now, I sense good fortune coming my way."

'_Good fortune?'_ Aichi thought to himself with a small frown.

"Now then, Lozenge Magus boosts Circle Magus to attack Allen," Misaki said as she rested her two units. Her eyes then met Aichi's as she said, "Lozenge has another skill. When it's boosting, the unit being boosted receives another three thousand points in attack power."

Aichi's eyes widened in surprise before he called out, "No guard."

"Drive trigger, check," Misaki stated as she picked up her card but didn't show it immediately. A small smirk appeared on her face as she looked up at Aichi, "Thanks to Circle Magus, I knew beforehand that this card would appear. I got a critical trigger." The card was flipped around to reveal a marble statue, "Oracle Guardian, Nike adds plus five thousand power and an extra critical to my vanguard!"

**{Drive check = Oracle Guardian, Nike / Critical Trigger}**

_Lozenge Magus glowed with a green aura that was then transferred to her fellow Magus __**[Power: 7000 + 3000 + 3000 + 5000 = 18000. Critical: 2]**__. A burst of mystic power was launched from Circle Magus's staff that slammed with great force into the Knight Squire. The Royal Paladin unit shouted in pain as he was launched back into his ally, the Little Sage grunting with effort before setting Allen back on his feet._

"Damage check, first," Aichi said as he turned over the first card to reveal a grade one card. "No trigger, Wingal goes to my damage zone. Second check, critical trigger! All effects to Knight Squire, Allen."

**{Damage check = Wingal}  
>{Damage check = Bringer of Good Luck, Epona  Critical Trigger}**

Misaki nodded before she picked up her rearguard unit, "When I enter my end phase, Lozenge Magus activates the final part of her second skill. If she boosted a unit, I return her to my deck and shuffle." The older teen performed said actions before smiling at Aichi, "Have you noticed? Even if you ride Blaster Blade now, his effect will just go waste since I don't have any rearguards for you to retire."

Off to the side, Miwa chuckled lightly, "Wow, no mercy from the greenhorn."

**Aichi  
>Hand: 4 cards<br>Front Row: Empty – Knight Squire, Allen – Empty  
>Back Row: Empty – Little Sage, Marron – Empty<br>Damage: Wingal / Bringer of Good Luck, Epona**

**Misaki  
>Hand: 6 Cards<br>Front Row: Empty – Circle Magus – Empty  
>Back Row: Empty – Empty – Empty<br>Damage: 0**

'_What Misaki-san said is true, guess it's lucky I don't have him yet,'_ Aichi thought to himself as he drew a card. "Right then, I ride the Knight of Silence, Gallatin. To the rearguard I'll call another Gallatin with a Starlight Unicorn behind him. Unicorn's skill lets me add two thousand power to a royal paladin unit until the end of the same turn when it's called to the rearguard; I'll give that power to the rearguard Gallatin."

_On the battlefield, Allen was consumed by a flash of blue light as the blindfolded knight took his place with a warrior's salute of his blade __**[Knight of Silence, Gallatin. Power: 10000]**__. To his right, a second Gallatin appeared as the colorful Unicorn took shape behind him, glowing with power that flowed to the rearguard Gallatin __**[Knight of Silence, Gallatin. Power: 10000 + 2000 = 12000] [Starlight Unicorn. Power: 6000]**__. _

"I'll attack first with my rearguard Gallatin, boosted by Starlight Unicorn," Aichi said as he rested the two units.

"No guard," Misaki calmly stated.

_The Unicorn sent an aura of power to the blindfolded Knight, who then proceeded to draw his sword as he rushed forward __**[Power: 12000 + 6000 = 18000]**__. The slash of the blade was partially blocked by the circle-themed Magus, who was pushed back by the blow._

"Damage trigger check. No trigger," Misaki said as she moved the card to her damage zone.

**{Damage check = Oracle Guardian, Gemini}**

Aichi then rested his center units, "My Vanguard Gallatin attacks with a boost from Marron."

"I don't guard," Misaki said in reply.

"Checking the drive trigger," Aichi said as he turned over the top card of his deck. A blue shine burst forth as Aichi called, "Got a stand trigger. I give the five thousand power to my rearguard Gallatin and stand him."

**{Drive Check = Flogal / Stand Trigger}**

_Marron opened his spell book, a glyph of power forming in the air before flowing forward to wrap around Gallatin's blade. The blind knight leapt high in the air before bringing his blade to bear on his foe __**[Power: 10000 + 8000 = 18000]. **__Meanwhile, the second Gallatin stood tall with newfound power as he once again readied his blade __**[Power: 12000 + 5000 = 17000]**__._

"Damage check." Misaki picked up the top card of her deck and gave it a quick look before placing it in her damage zone, "No trigger."

**{Damage check = Battle Sister Chocolat}**

Aichi twisted his final card to its side, "My rearguard Gallatin attacks again."

Misaki took a short moment to consider, running over the shield strength of the cards in her hand before she shook her head, "No guard."

_With a grunt of effort, the rearguard Gallatin dashed forward and lashed out again with his longsword __**[Power: 17000]**__. Circle Magus cried out in pain as she was thrown back by the attack._

"Check for a damage trigger," Misaki stated as she displayed the topmost card. "Got a draw trigger. Dream Eater lets me give five thousand power to my vanguard and draw a card." She set the trigger down in her damage zone and added a card to her hand.

**{Damage check = Dream Eater / Draw Trigger}**

"I end my turn," Aichi said as he straightened up in his chair.

**Aichi  
>Hand: 3 cards<br>Front row: Empty – Knight of Silence Gallatin – Knight of Silence, Gallatin  
>Back row: Empty – Little Sage, Marron – Starlight Unicorn<br>Damage: Wingal / Bringer of Good Luck, Epona**

**Misaki  
>Hand: 7 cards<br>Front row: Empty – Circle Magus – Empty  
>Back row: Empty – Empty – Empty<br>Damage: Oracle Guardian, Gemini / Battle Sister, Chocolat / Dream Eater**

Over with the watchers, Naoki smirked lightly, "Looks like the banchou's not the only one who can dish it out, huh?"

Miwa nodded, "Mm. But it is impressive that she knows how most of the cards work despite this being her first fight." A low growl drew the attention of the onlookers to a frustrated-looking Morikawa.

"I must not be praying hard enough! Aichi don't you dare win!" the black-haired teen raged.

Misaki quickly put a stop to that with a harsh glare, "Quiet down! We're fighting here!" The group of spectators all suffered a short shiver going down their spines as they all muttered an apology. In all the fuss, the opening of the shop door went unnoticed.

The lavender-haired girl turned her attention back to her opponent as she stood her single unit and drew, "I may not have actually had a cardfight before now, but I remember each and every fight I've seen in this store so I'm very familiar with the basics of how a fight works." A small smirk appeared on her face as she said, "That also means I remember every fight you've had here Aichi." The blue-haired teen did his best to fight off the frown that wanted to appear at these words.

"No way, every fight?" Izaki muttered in awe.

"That's called an eidetic memory." The group of teens turned as one to the owner of the voice, only to be surprised when it was revealed to be Kai.

"Oh, just when did you show up Kai?" Miwa asked with a small grin.

Kai spared him a quick glance as he leaned up against the counter, "Just now." The brown-haired teen turned his attention towards the two fighters, one of whom was now extremely nervous that the one he looked up to was now watching him. To himself, the veteran fighter had another thought, one that brought barely noticeable smirk to his lips, _'However, her memories of Aichi are all based __before__ this fight. How will she hold up against the actual Aichi, the one who grows stronger with each and every fight he has?'_

Back at the fight table, Misaki had made her choice for her grade two vanguard and placed it down, "I ride Promise Daughter. To the rearguard I'll call a Silent Tom in the left column. I'll also call Battle Sister Cocoa behind Promise Daugter and Miracle Kid behind Tom." The three cards were smoothly placed by the female fighter as Aichi took it all in with a determined expression.

_Circle Magus vanished in a brief flash of green light as a voluptuous blonde in a form-fitting blue jumpsuit appeared, metal wings of a pure white color adorned her back with a matching metal skirt forming at her waist while a similarly colored headdress that put one in mind of a crown rested on her head __**[Promise Daughter. Power: 9000]**__. A male unit then appeared, garbed in a neatly-pressed suit with his face wrapped in a multitude of bandages, while over his shoulder a ghostly woman of great beauty could be faintly seen __**[Silent Tom. Power: 8000]**__. Behind Promise Daughter, a nun wearing purple robes appeared with dull pink hair peeking out from underneath her habit and a whimsical smirk on her lips __**[Battle Sister Cocoa. Power: 6000]**__. The last to arrive was a mouse with the body structure of a man dressed in clothes that wouldn't look out of place at a high-end casino __**[Miracle Kid. Power: 5000]**__._

"Cocoa's skill activates. When she's placed on the vanguard or rearguard circle, I can look at the top card of my deck and then choose to either leave it on top or place it on the bottom," Misaki stated as she checked the card. With a small hum, the lavender-haired girl slid the card under her deck, "I don't need this card."

Looking back up at Aichi, the lavender-haired girl rested her two center units, "Cocoa boosts Promise Daughter to attack your vanguard Gallatin. I activate Promise Daughters skill; by placing one card from my hand into the drop zone I can raise her attack by another five thousand points." She performed the said action, placing an Oracle Guardian, Wiseman card into the drop zone.

Aichi took a quick moment of consideration before he shook his head, "I don't guard."

"Drive trigger, check." The top card was turned over to reveal a soothing green light, "Got a heal trigger. I'll give the power to Silent Tom and recover one point of damage." Misaki picked up the Oracle Guardian, Gemini from her damage zone and placed it in the drop zone after adding her trigger to her hand.

**{Drive check = Lozenge Magus / Heal Trigger}**

_Cocoa entered a prayer stance as she glowed with power that transferred to Promise Daughter, a ball of glowing mystical energy appearing in the units hands that was swiftly launched at the blindfolded knight __**[Power: 9000 + 5000 + 6000 = 20000]**__. Meanwhile, Silent Tom glowed with power gained from the trigger __**[Power: 8000 + 5000 = 13000]**__._

"Damage check," Aichi called out, flipping over the top card of his deck before adding it to damage zone with a small sigh. "Not a trigger."

**{Damage check = Knight of Silence, Gallatin}**

"Now I'll attack your vanguard with the Silent Tom that was just boosted by my heal trigger along with Miracle Kid," Misaki said as she rested said units.

Aichi began to set one of his cards down as he replied, "I'll guard with Flogal."

"Actually, you can't." Misaki explained when Aichi shot her a confused look, "Silent Tom's skill makes it so you can't guard against his attack with grade zero units. Sorry 'bout that," she finished with a small smirk.

"I don't guard then," Aichi sighed.

_The smartly dressed Silent Tom pointed one of his hands at Gallatin, revealing pistol-sized holes at his fingertips. A series of 'bangs' sounded as a salvo of projectiles were fired at the blindfolded knight, causing him to shout in pain __**[Power: 13000 + 5000 = 18000]**__._

"Check for a damage trigger. Stardust Trumpeter goes to my damage zone," Aichi said as he moved the card to the proper place.

"My turn ends," Misaki softly stated.

**Aichi  
>Hand: 2 cards<br>Front row: Empty – Knight of Silence, Gallatin – Knight of Silence, Gallatin  
>Back row: Empty – Little Sage, Marron – Starlight Unicorn<br>Damage: Wingal / Bringer of Good Luck, Epona / Knight of Silence, Gallatin / Stardust Trumpeter**

**Misaki  
>Hand: 4 cards<br>Front row: Silent Tom – Promise Daughter - Empty  
>Back Row: Miracle Kid – Battle Sister Cocoa – Empty<br>Damage: Battle Sister, Chocolat / Dream Eater**

'_I've got to do something about that Silent Tom,'_ Aichi thought to himself as he stood his units and drew a card. "Alright. I'll call Knight Squire, Allen and use his skill. By counter-blasting one card, I can raise his power by one thousand points and I'll do this three times!" Three cards in his damage zone were flipped over in quick succession to power up the Squire.

_The small knight appeared in a quick flash of blue light, flourishing his blade as an aura of power surrounded him __**[Knight Squire, Allen. Power: 7000 + 3000 = 10000]**__._

"Starlight Unicorn boosts Gallatin to attack your Silent Tom," Aichi said as he rested his two units.

"I guard with Oracle Guardian Nike."

Next, Aichi rested his center column as he said, "My vanguard Gallatin attacks Promise Daughter with a boost from Marron."

'_Hm, I could guard this well enough so that even a trigger wouldn't be enough for the attack to hit. But even if he does get a critical the most he could do is deal me two damage and power up Allen to fifteen thousand power, something I could easily guard.'_ With a small nod, the lavender-haired girl said, "I don't guard."

Aichi nodded at his opponent's words, "Check for a drive trigger. Got a critical trigger! The critical goes to my vanguard and the power to Allen."

**{Drive check = Bringer of Good Luck, Epona / Critical Trigger}**

_Gallatin rushed forward, his blade shining with power lent to him by Marron and the critical trigger __**[Power: 10000 + 8000 = 18000. Critical: 2]**__. The blindfolded knight's blade lashed out as Promise Daughter shielded herself with one of her metal wings, a grimace of pain present on her lips. _

"Damage trigger first check, Oracle Guardian, Hermes. Second check, Circle Magus, no triggers," Misaki stated as she added the two cards to her damage zone.

**{Damage check = Oracle Guardian, Hermes}  
>{Damage check = Circle Magus}<strong>

"Allen attacks Silent Tom!" Aichi declared as he rested his final unit.

"Lozenge Magus guards," Misaki said in reply, placing said unit in the guardian circle.

_The Knight Squire rushed forward with a shout __**[Power: 10000 + 5000 = 15000]**__, only to be halted in his tracks by the appearance of the Magus who held up her staff in a defensive posture __**[8000 Power + 10000 Shield = 18000 Shield]. **__The Royal Paladin unit withdrew his blade as he returned to his allies' side._

"I end my turn," Aichi said with a small frown.

**Aichi  
>Hand: 3 cards<br>Front row: Knight Squire, Allen – Knight of Silence, Gallatin – Knight of Silence, Gallatin  
>Back row: Empty – Little Sage, Marron – Starlight Unicorn<br>Damage: Wingal (F) / Bringer of Good Luck, Epona (F) / Knight of Silence, Gallatin (F) / Stardust Trumpeter**

**Misaki  
>Hand: 2 cards<br>Front row: Silent Tom – Promise Daughter – Empty  
>Back row: Miracle Kid – Battle Sister Cocoa – Empty<br>Damage: Battle Sister, Chocolat / Dream Eater / Oracle Guardian, Hermes / Circle Magus**

"It's about time I finished this," Misaki muttered as she stood her units and drew. Her eyes met Aichi's as she held up a particular card, "The beautiful goddess, shining radiantly. Ride, CEO Amaterasu!" The grade 3 unit was placed on the vanguard circle, drawing expressions of surprise from the onlookers.

_An orb of glowing red light consumed Promise Daughter before levitating into the sky to reveal the new woman assuming the role of Misaki's Vanguard. She was garbed in a short, royal-looking kimono with a mirror-like device held in her hands while her aristocratic face was framed by long locks of dark-brown hair done up in an elegant fashion __**[CEO Amaterasu. Power: 10000]**__._

"Amaterasu? Who'd have thought there'd be a card like that in her deck," Miwa commented in surprise.

Morikawa, meanwhile, had stars dancing in his eyes, "Grade 3, the strongest cards in all of Vanguard." Izaki and Naoki sweat dropped at his statement.

The blonde-haired high-schooler chuckled as he glanced at the star struck teen, "You really love your grade threes, don'tcha?"

"Heck yeah!" Morikawa replied as he crossed his arms with a smug grin, "They're the strongest, just like me!" This drew another round of sweat drops from most of the watchers, only Kai managed to ignore the commentary as he kept his eyes glued to the fight.

"Amaterasu's skill activates," Misaki declared. She plucked the top card from her deck as she said, "I place the top card of my deck in my soul, then I can look at the next card and decide whether to leave it on top or put it on the bottom." The card in her hand was placed under her vanguard as she then checked the top of her deck. "I think I'll leave this here," she decided with a small smirk.

**{Soul Charge – Oracle Guardian, Gemini}**

"Now then, Amaterasu attacks your vanguard Gallatin with a boost from Cocoa," Misaki stated as she rested her center units.

Aichi didn't waste any time as he placed two of his cards in the center circle, "I guard with Flogal and Epona. Now your attack won't go through, even if you get two triggers!"

_Cocoa once again entered her prayer stance as she transferred her power to Amaterasu, whose mirror began to shine with power __**[Power: 10000 + 6000 = 16000]**__. In response, the pink-furred hi-beast and beetle riding warrior appeared before Gallatin in defense of their ally __**[10000 Power + 10000 Shield + 10000 Shield = 30000 Shield]**__._

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Misaki retorted as she placed a hand atop her deck. "Drive trigger check, twin drive." Without even looking at the card, she held it up for Aichi to see as she said, "First: Miracle Kid. I give the power to Amaterasu and draw a card. And, second check." A tense silence settled on the shop as the card was turned over, the appearance of a gold light brought forth some gasps of shock, "Got a critical trigger. Again, I give the power to my vanguard along with the extra critical."

**{Drive check = Miracle Kid / Draw Trigger}  
>{Drive check = Oracle Guardian, Nike  Critical Trigger}**

'_Why did she…?'_ Aichi thought to himself in a small amount of confusion.

Misaki smirked lightly at her opponent as she asked, "You're wondering why I gave all that power to Amaterasu aren't you?" Aichi nodded with a surprised expression on his face. "It's because Amaterasu has another skill. During my turn when there are four or more cards in my hand, Amaterasu gains an extra four thousand points to her attack power. I have five."

Aichi gasped in shock, "That means!"

"The attack will now hit," Misaki finished with her smirk still firmly in place. "This is the power of grade threes Aichi. A deck with no more than grade twos such as yours will never win against it."

_On Cray, Amaterasu's mirror shone with an even brighter light thanks to all the power she had just gained __**[Power: 16000 + 5000 + 5000 + 4000 = 30000. Critical: 2]**__. A beam of energy lanced out from the mirror, obliterating Flogal and Epona as it collided with Gallatin, drawing forth a shout of pain from the blindfolded knight._

In the silence that followed Misaki's statement, Miwa couldn't help but mutter, "Wonder if he can pull off another miracle." Morikawa was predictably gushing over Amaterasu's abilities, gaining a nervous chuckle from his best friend while both Naoki and Kai were silently staring at Aichi.

"You're wrong Misaki-san." Aichi looked up from the field with an expression of determination as he stared at the lavender-haired girl. "It's true that I don't have any grade three cards in this deck, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. This deck has helped me when I needed it and I'm going to keep believing in it even if I do lose this fight." Aichi's eyes turned towards his deck as he laid a hand on it. "Damage trigger check!"

The card was turned over and once again, shocked expressions appeared amongst the group. "Heal Trigger!" Aichi declared with a small grin. "I give the power to my vanguard and heal one point of damage." Elaine was placed into his damage zone before he took his flipped Wingal and added it to his drop zone. "Second check…Stand Trigger! I give the power to my rearguard Gallatin and stand Allen."

**{Damage check = Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine / Heal Trigger}  
>{Damage check = Flogal  Stand Trigger}**

A barely noticeable grimace adorned Misaki's lips as she rested her Silent Tom's column, "I attack Allen."

Since he only had a grade zero unit left in hand that wasn't even strong enough to defend with anyway, Aichi responded with a firm, "Allen is retired." Said card was placed in his drop zone.

"My turn ends," Misaki stated.

**Aichi  
>Hand: 1 card<br>Front row: Empty – Knight of Silence, Gallatin – Knight of Silence, Gallatin  
>Back row: Empty – Little Sage, Marron – Starlight Unicorn<br>Damage: Bringer of Good Luck, Epona (F) / Knight of Silence, Gallatin (F) / Stardust Trumpeter / Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine / Flogal**

**Misaki  
>Hand: 5 cards<br>Front row: Silent Tom – CEO Amaterasu – Empty  
>Back row: Miracle Kid – Battle Sister Cocoa – Empty<br>Damage: Battle Sister, Chocolat / Dream Eater / Oracle Guardian, Hermes / Circle Magus**

"Stand and draw," Aichi said as he performed the required actions, taking a moment to study the field as he considered his options. Closing his eyes, the blue-haired teen started speaking, "You said a deck without grade threes can't beat a deck with them and maybe you're right Misaki-san. However," here his blue eyes snapped open to steadfastly stare into the teal eyes of his opponent, "I'm going to put my faith in my deck and the strength of my allies. Call!" A card was placed in the front circle of the leftmost lane. "Sage of Guidance, Zenon!"

_A bright light shone as a mage garbed in dark-blue robes with large silver pauldrons made his appearance on the battlefield __**[Sage of Guidance, Zenon. Power: 6000]**__. Zenon lifted a hand to the sky, causing a circle bearing the likeness of the Vanguard symbol to appear over the Gallatin in the vanguard position._

"Zenon's skill activates!" Aichi declared as he tapped said card. "When he is placed on the rearguard circle and my Vanguard is a Royal Paladin I can look at the top card of my deck. Then, if that card is a Royal Paladin unit of the same grade as my current vanguard I can ride it. If it's not, the card goes to my drop zone."

Off with the observers, Morikawa couldn't help but exclaim, "No way! A unit that's not a grade three has that kind of skill?!"

"Even so, that's a big risk Aichi's taking," Miwa commented with a small frown as he crossed his arms. "He's got a good chance of losing a trigger to that skill."

'_C'mon Aichi,'_ Naoki thought to himself, his hands clenching into fists.

Kai's eyes narrowed as he watched Aichi place his free hand on his deck, only for them to snap wide open when he could have sworn he saw Aichi's deck faintly pulse with a blue light.

Aichi almost couldn't believe what he was seeing as he stared at the card he just drew. _'You came,'_ the blue-haired teen whispered in his thoughts, the picture in the card even seemed to nod though that might have just been Aichi's eyes playing tricks on him. Words unbidden came to the forefront of Aichi's thoughts and before he realized it he was saying them aloud, "The courage of your allies summons you to the battlefield. Now take up your sword and stand, my avatar! Superior Ride, Blaster Blade!"

_A bolt of intense lightning lanced down from the circle put in place just moments ago, consuming the Knight of Silence in a flash of light and a thick cloud of dust. As the dust settled, the armored warrior could be seen standing tall with both hands resting on the hilt of his sword that was buried point first into the earth, a thick lock of blue hair descending from his white helm as blue eyes stared intensely at the battlefield __**[Blaster Blade. Power: 9000]**__._

"I'll use Blaster Blades skill now to retire your Silent Tom," Aichi said as he flipped over the two cards in his damage zone needed for the skill's cost. Misaki silently moved said unit to her drop zone as Aichi continued speaking, "And then I'll call Weapons Dealer, Govannon behind Zenon."

_The stocky gnome rose up behind the blue-clad mage with a smug grin and crossed arms __**[Weapons Dealer, Govannon. Power: 5000]**__._

Misaki surveyed the opposition before her as well as the cards in her hand and quickly came to a simple conclusion, _'I'll be able to survive this attack so long as Aichi doesn't drive check a critical trigger.'_

"Here I come Misaki-san!" Aichi declared as he rested his rightmost lane, "Gallatin attacks with a boost from Starlight Unicorn."

"Oracle Guardian, Nike guards!"

_Gallatin dashed forward after receiving a boost of power from his ally __**[Power: 10000 + 6000 = 16000] **__only for his way to be blocked by a marble statue of a woman __**[10000 Power + 10000 Shield = 20000 Shield] **__that was quickly bifurcated by Gallatin's razor-sharp blade. The blindfolded knight was forced to retreat though when it became apparent that his strength wouldn't be enough to damage Amaterasu._

Aichi twisted both of the cards in his center lane on their sides as he said, "Now Blaster Blade attacks with boost from Marron!"

"I guard with Battle Sister Chocolat and activate her skill," Misaki replied as she set her card down in the guardian circle. "By discarding a card from my hand I can negate your current attack. Even a trigger won't allow you to hit!" A Silent Tom from her hand was placed into her drop zone to enforce that statement.

_Marron's spell book was quickly opened to set a glyph of power on his ally's sword and with a shout the iconic warrior rushed forward with blade ready to strike __**[Power: 9000 + 8000 = 17000]**__. His progress was stopped by the appearance of a small, timid-looking nun holding a gatling gun that was almost as big as she was. The timid nun let out a yell of fright as she quickly lost control of her weapon that belted out an impressive volley of bullets, forcing Blaster Blade to leap back lest he get hit by a stray round._

"I'm not done yet. Check for a drive trigger," Aichi said before he flipped over the top card of his deck. A bright smile lit up Aichi's face as he called out, "I got a critical trigger! All of the trigger effects go to the Sage of Guidance, Zenon! Zenon attacks now with a boost from Govannon!" Aichi excitedly called out as he speedily rested said units.

Misaki shut her eyes with a shake of her head while a rueful smile appeared on her lips, the only cards left in her hand being a grade three unit and her draw trigger from her drive check. "I don't guard." _'It's all up to the triggers now,'_ she whispered in her thoughts.

_A large orb of mystical energy grew in the space between Zenon's outstretched hands, becoming even larger after receiving a boost of power from both Govannon and the critical trigger before it was launched at the grade three Oracle Think Tank unit __**[Power: 6000 + 5000 + 5000 = 16000. Critical: 2]**__. Amaterasu shouted in pain as the attack slammed into her with devastating force._

"Damage trigger, first check. Got a draw trigger," Misaki announced when the card was revealed. "I give the power to my vanguard and draw," she performed the required action and did her best to hold back a grimace when the drawn card ended up being a heal trigger. "Second check…no trigger." The card was silently added to the damage zone to bring her up to six damage.

**{Damage check = Miracle Kid / Draw Trigger}  
>{Damage check = Oracle Guardian, Wiseman}<strong>

"Hah! Nice going Aichi!" Naoki called out as he quickly moved to the table and wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders with a cheery grin on his face.

"Arigatou Naoki-kun," Aichi thanked his best friend before turning back to his opponent. "Ano, thank you for fighting me Misaki-san. It was a really fun fight."

The girl in question took a moment to stare down at the cards still arrayed on the playmat before looking up at the boy she had just fought, who even now was starting to revert back to his shy side, _'He really is a different person when he's fighting.'_ Her gaze swept over the widely-grinning redhead at Aichi's shoulders to the group of teens hanging around the counter, each with their own smile/grin/smirk that was directed at the two fighters, something that prompted a warm feeling to bloom in the young woman.

Looking back at the blue-haired teen sitting across from her, Misaki smiled an honest, small smile as she replied, "I had fun as well. It was more exciting than I thought it would be." _'Tou-san, Kaa-san, are you watching? I just had my first cardfight,'_ the lavender-haired girl thought to herself in a moment of bittersweet recollection as she gathered up her cards.

In the aftermath of the fight, the teens had all split off to do their own little things as other fighters started to trickle in. Morikawa had dragged Izuki off to 'bask' in the glory of his assembled grade three cards. Miwa managed to rope Kai into having a fight with him while Naoki watched the two Kagero users square off against each other. Misaki returned to her post behind the counter and Aichi was looking through the various booster packs located on the shelf.

'_Grade three,' _Aichi thought to himself. _'It's true that I don't have anything like that in my deck right now, but I'm pretty sure I've got some lying around at home. Plus, I can always buy more booster packs to try and get some threes that way.'_

"So, Misaki tells me you beat her." Aichi looked up from his browsing and saw the manager of Card Capital standing there with an enigmatic grin on his face. "And? Did you notice anything?" The question was directed at both of the teens, but Misaki just shut her eyes to ignore her uncle.

Seeing that Misaki wasn't going to say anything, Aichi spoke up, "I saw that I still have a long way to go. There's a lot I still don't know about Vanguard, this world is much vaster than I first thought."

Shin nodded, "Mmhmm. That is the nice thing I wanted to show you Aichi-kun." Aichi's expression shifted to confusion, along with that of Naoki's as he walked over to see what was going on. "No matter where you look, it remains the same: when a person starts playing Vanguard, or any game for that matter, they only know their own little sliver of it. Of course, if they stay that way, they never get any more skilled. That's something you have to take into account if you want to defeat more difficult opponents." Shin smiled lightly when he saw the young teen's eyes widen slightly at the subtle hint he gave. "Well anyway, I'm glad you saw something nice."

"The vast world of Vanguard, huh?" Miwa muttered, glancing up at Kai with a small smirk on his face as he recalled the time he had spent getting back into the game once the brown-haired teen sitting across from him had moved back to this area. Kai offered a small smirk back as he placed down a card.

"Tch, I already knew about that all too well," Morikawa scoffed as he turned back to the table he was sitting at.

Izaki looked at his friend in confusion, "What _did_ you think the nice thing was?"

"Something like," the black-haired teen started to say before gesturing at the cards arrayed before him, "Showing me a grade three even _I_ didn't have yet!" he boasted before laughing in a cocky manner, Izaki sweatdropping at Morikawa's antics.

Back at the counter, Shin moved some of the booster packs on display around as he said to the two junior-high students, "If either of you want to learn more about the cards, I'd be happy to teach you."

Misaki looked up from her book with what might have been a playful smile, "You do mean as long as they come to the store as customers, right?" Shin just adjusted his glasses with his own embarrassed smile. Before the conversation could continue, the opening of the shop entrance drew the attention of those at the counter.

"I knew you'd be here Aichi," declared Emi as strode into the shop with a small frown on her face.

"Emi? What are you doing here?" Aichi asked, surprise decorating his features as he walked over to his sister.

The young girl wasted no time as she grabbed hold of her older brothers arm and started dragging him out of the shop, "It's dinner time and kaa-san sent me to find you. You should really start keeping better track…" Whatever Emi was saying faded away as the siblings exited the shop and started making their way home.

Back at the counter, Misaki stared at the shop entrance for a long moment before she abruptly stood up. "I'll be right back," she called to her uncle as she rushed out the door.

Shin chuckled at his niece's actions and took her place at the counter, smiling jovially as a small group of kids came up to purchase some booster packs. After getting the youngsters squared away, Shin's attention was grabbed by the growl of frustration coming from a disgruntled Naoki. "Is there something the matter Naoki-kun?" the shop manager asked supportively.

An explosive sigh escaped the red-haired teen as he shook his head, "It's nothin' really. I just wanna get started making a deck so I can have some fights as well, but nothin' I've come across really gets me fired up." Naoki sighed again and scratched the back of his head, "It's just…when I was helping Aichi build up his deck, there'd be times where he'd get this look in his eyes or a small little smile and I could tell that he was making a connection with his cards even though he never had a fight until a couple days ago." His amber eyes locked onto Shin's glasses as he shrugged, "You probably think I'm crazy, but I want to have something like that with the deck I make, ya know? Something that I can really get passionate about."

"I don't think you're crazy at all Naoki-kun," Shin answered after taking a short moment to study the red-haired teen. Reaching into his apron's pocket, a mischievous smile lit up the store manager's face as he held something out to Naoki, "Take this."

Naoki accepted the offered item and saw it was a booster pack with an art design he wasn't familiar with. "Onslaught of Dragon Souls?" Saying the name aloud clicked on the proverbial light bulb, "Wait a minute! Ain't this that new booster set that's gonna be released in a couple of days?"

Shin nodded, smile still in place, "Hai, that it is. Each of the shops received several packs a couple days ago as part of a promotional event. That pack there is the last of the ones I received, the others I used to help put together the deck you saw Misaki use today."

"And you're just giving it to me?" Naoki asked in disbelief and with wide eyes.

"There is one condition," Shin replied casually. Seeing he had the teens attention he continued, "If you find something in there that helps you make a deck, I would like for you to participate in the shop tournament next week."

Naoki was stunned into silence for only a minute before he flashed a wide grin and a quick 'thumbs-up' at Shin. "I'm good with that, thanks Tenchou," The red-haired teen said before turning his attention to the booster pack in his hands.

A quick tug on one of the corners produced a nice even tear that let Naoki take out the cards with little effort. "Hmm…Gattling Claw Dragon," Naoki muttered as he read over the card's effect. "That'll be handy once more of those starters that move when ridden on come out. Next, Panzer Gale, not interested in Spike Brothers." The card depicting an ogre sport player of Cray was shuffled back to reveal a card that showed a woman crafting bullets using magic. "Follower, Reas. She's got an effect like Wingal," Naoki softly stated, making a mental note of the name this card was meant to go with, before he moved on to the next card. "Cray Soldier…no."

As Naoki shuffled the final card into view, a faint roar sounded that caused the teen to look about in shock. Confusion grew in him when he saw that no one else seemed to have heard the roar, not noticing that Kai had looked over his shoulder at the red-haired teen with narrowed eyes. Naoki turned his attention back to the card in his hands and softly read the name, "Blazing Flare Dragon." The longer he stared at the picture of the flame dragon, the more Naoki could feel a grin growing on his face at the strength he could feel coming from this card, _'This…this is what I've been looking for.'_

Looking up from his new card, Naoki grinned widely at Shin, "Thanks a bunch, Tenchou. I think I really got something here."

Shin smiled back at the young teen and chuckled lightly as the red-haired teen began to ramble about how he had work to do before rushing out of the shop, nearly running into Misaki as he did so. Shin's chuckles did not abate as he watched his niece glare heatedly at the rambunctious teen, who hurriedly and fearfully apologized before running off. Misaki sighed as she took her uncle's place at the counter with said uncle grinning mischievously down at his niece.

"Sooo, did you take care of what you needed to Misaki?" Shin teasingly asked.

The lavender-haired girl easily ignored her uncle as she delved back into her book, but even the words on the page couldn't distract her thoughts from what she had done after exiting the shop.

_~~~ {Several Minutes Earlier} ~~~_

It didn't take Misaki long to spot the Sendou siblings thanks to Aichi's distinctive blue hair. "Aichi!" the lavender-haired girl called out as she hurried over to the pair.

The siblings turned as one with Aichi speaking up, "Misaki-san? Did you need something?"

Misaki shook her head with a small smile as she approached the two, "No, I just wanted to thank you again. I'm kind of glad Shin had me fight you instead of him today, I never thought actually having a cardfight would be as fun as it was."

Aichi blushed lightly in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck, "I enjoyed fighting you as well Misaki-san. Ah, did you need anything else though? Emi and I need to head back home for dinner." Now it was Misaki's turn to slightly blush at the question, causing Emi to look between the older girl and her brother in a small amount of confusion, _'Is there something going on between Misaki-san and Aichi?'_

"Actually, I wanted to give you this," Misaki replied as she pulled a booster pack out of her apron's pocket. She held the pack of cards out to Aichi as she said, "Hopefully this will help you get a start on gathering the grade threes you need."

"Are you sure I can have this?" Aichi asked with a small amount of hesitation. "What about your uncle?"

Misaki shrugged, "Shin won't mind. He'd probably do the same thing as a matter of fact."

"Okay, thank you very much," Aichi said as he accepted the gift before turning to his sister. "Do you mind if I open this real quick Emi?" At the shake of the head from his sister (who was currently sporting an amused, exasperated smirk), Aichi turned his attention back to the booster pack and quickly opened it.

He shuffled through four of the five cards, ignoring the ones he already had and taking note of the ones he didn't. When he came to the last card though, Aichi paused for a brief moment and muttered a quick prayer as he shut his eyes before shuffling the final card to the top. The blue-haired teen waited a second before opening his eyes, said eyes widening in surprise at what they saw as a whispered, "Sugoi," issued from Aichi's lips.

The card depicted an elven knight, clad in metallic gray armor along with a red and blue cape, sitting atop a Pegasus. Two important facts stood out to Aichi though; the first was that it was a grade three unit, the second being that it was a Royal Paladin. "Solitary Knight, Gancelot," Aichi read the name aloud with a breath of awe.

"It's a grade three and Royal Paladin. That's a lucky find Aichi," Misaki commented with a small smile upon seeing Aichi's excitement. "Plus its effects will work well with your Blaster Blade."

"So it's a good card then?" Emi asked with a confused expression, looking at the card in question.

"It is," Misaki replied with a nod to the younger girl. "Especially since Aichi needs to add a set of grade threes to his deck."

Aichi finally looked up from the card in his hands with a wide smile, "Arigatou Misaki-san. This will really help me in completing my deck."

Misaki smiled back at the young teen and took a small step away from the pair, "I'm glad I could help. I should let you get on your way now; your kaa-san is probably wondering what's taking you."

"Goodbye Misaki-san. I'll probably stop by the shop tomorrow to see how Gancelot fits in with my current deck," Aichi replied before walking off with a wave, Emi emulating her older brother's actions as she walked alongside him.

Misaki waved back to the siblings before heading back to the store, nearly getting run over by Aichi's friend in the process. A quick glare had him scurrying away.

Pulling herself out of her memory, Misaki looked down at her deck of cards that Shin insisted she keep. The CEO Amaterasu card stared back up a her, a gentle smile decorating the face of the Oracle Think Tank's manager. _'What can I do to make you better?'_ the lavender-haired girl thought to herself.

Spotting the interest his niece was showing the cards situated in her lap, Shin couldn't stop the small smile from forming as he went about his work.

**~~~ {End Chapter} ~~~**

**Unknown-nin345: Sheesh, you would not believe the grief this chapter gave me. I had the whole fight finished months ago, it was everything after the fight that just didn't want to be written for some reason. (Sigh) **

**Anywho, I hope you all like how I'm portraying Misaki, I'm trying to mix her anime personality with her manga personality; the main difference between the two that she's much more expressive in the manga (even going as far as kicking Shin in the face at one point).**

**And yes, Naoki is going to be using a Blazing Flare Dragon deck for the duration of season one. Looking over all the Season 1 cards available, I felt that grade three in particular and the play style that goes with it fits him best: retire your opponent's units to power up your Vanguard/Rearguards. I've got some fun stuff planned in the future for Naoki's various fights. **

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**


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